26% of the population of Latvia buy herbal teas in a pharmacy, using them on the recommendation of a pharmacist or doctor, almost as many respondents admit that they know several medicinal herbs themselves, collect them, prepare and use them as needed, but also use teas bought in pharmacies. A little less – 19% are those who only pick medicinal herbs for tea, while a relatively large number – 30% – do not use herbal tea, it was found out in the survey conducted by “Mēnes aptiekas” and the research agency “Norstat”.
“In winter, when more people get sick with apple viruses, herbal teas are a sought-after product. According to the survey data, it can be seen that women both collect and use herbal teas and buy them at the pharmacy more than men. Obviously, they have more confidence in this natural product. The relatively high indicators that the elderly population of Latvia both collect herbal teas themselves and buy them in a pharmacy show that this generation has understanding and knowledge about the use and effect of medicinal herbs, perhaps those who used to read teas themselves, in their current years can’t anymore, so they gladly choose the ones available in the pharmacy. In order for herbal tea to have a beneficial effect on health, it is important to know how to properly collect, dry and store the plants. It also means how much concentrated drink is prepared, how long and in what volume it is used,” says the pharmacist of “Mēnes aptiekas” Ārika Pētersone. The pharmacist also thinks that to a large extent the use of herbal teas depends on family traditions, because if you did not drink chamomile, linden, yarrow, calendula or any other herbal tea as a child, it is more difficult to develop such a habit as an adult, both understanding and the specific taste of different teas because even a specific tea is recommended by a pharmacist or a doctor: “Herbs such as dogwood, horsetail, marshmallow, badrian roots, etc., are probably less familiar to younger people, but the pharmacist can tell you about the use and effects of teas made from these plants. The knowledge of medicinal plants in the wider society, the skills to properly prepare and use them is a kind of heritage that we in Latvia should be proud of, because it has been lost in many parts of the world. We are glad that the producers of the teas sold in the pharmacy are mainly from Latvia, they are traditions that are continued, for example, by the Rīga Farmaceitiskā fabrika with the range of Dr. Pakalna’s teas, etc.
Most of those who buy herbal teas at a pharmacy, use them on the recommendation of a pharmacist or doctor, are aged 18-39 and 60-74. 30% of the inhabitants of Riga, 28% of the inhabitants of Latgale buy herbal teas in the pharmacy, on average 21-23% of the other regions have this habit.
24% of the population of Latvia knows several medicinal plants, collects, prepares and uses them, but also uses teas bought in pharmacies, of which the most inhabitants with such habits are aged 50-74. For example, only 16% of 18-29 year olds use both self-harvested and pharmacy-bought herbal teas. In Vidzeme, 28% of the population, 27% in Pieriga, 26% in Kurzeme, 23% in Latgale, and the least – 22% in Riga and Zemgale.
19% admitted in the survey that they know several medicinal plants and only collect, prepare and use them themselves as needed, the most of them – 35% live in Vidzeme, and only 13% in Riga. Such a habit is more widely observed among the population aged 50-74, of which 20-22% of respondents on average confirmed it. A little less – 19% of the youngest respondents aged 18-29 do so, and only 15% of the population aged 30-39 do so.
30% of respondents in the survey admitted that they do not use herbal teas, mostly men – 37%, 22% of the surveyed women stated that they do not use herbal teas. The most – 37% of those who do not choose to drink medicinal herbal teas are among the youngest between the ages of 18-39, 31% are between the ages of 40-49, 25% between the ages of 50-59 and the least – 21% between the ages of 60-74 for years. Medicinal herbal teas are not consumed by 33% of Riga residents, 32% of Latgale residents, 31% of Kurzeme residents and the same amount of Zemgale residents, 26% of Pierīga residents and only 16% of Vidzeme residents.
A representative population survey “Mēness aptieka” in cooperation with the research agency “Norstat” was conducted throughout Latvia in January 2023, surveying 1,001 residents aged 18 to 74. Respondents in the survey gave answers to five questions, choosing several answer options.
