Table 9 Practice of COVID-19 home remedy (N = 624)

Did you take the home remedy together with modern medicine?

0.298^a

 Yes

433 (82%)

80 (86%)

 No

98 (18%)

13 (14%)

Did you take the home remedy together with vitamins or supplements?

0.298^a

 No

408 (77%)

76 (82%)

 Yes

123 (23%)

17 (18%)

Ingredient source

 Supermarket

182 (34%)

65 (70%)

 < 0.001 ^a

 Given by friends/family

95 (18%)

65 (70%)

 < 0.001 ^a

 My garden pot

8 (1.5%)

14 (15%)

 < 0.001 ^b

 Chinese Dispensary

8 (1.5%)

7 (7.5%)

0.003^b

 Buy from overseas

0 (0%)

7 (7.5%)

 < 0.001 ^b

 Traditional/ Spiritual Healers

7 (1.3%)

0 (0%)

0.602 ^b

Reason for using COVID-19 home remedy:

I used home remedies …

 … to relief/ ease the symptoms experienced

170 (32%)

86 (92%)

 < 0.001 ^a

 … as recommended by my family

133 (25%)

64 (69%)

 < 0.001 ^a

 … as a cure for the infection

74 (14%)

43 (46%)

 < 0.001 ^a

 … to prevent a more severe infection

73 (14%)

43 (46%)

 < 0.001 ^a

 … as recommended by other people

81 (15%)

21 (23%)

0.078^a

Knowledge of COVID-19 home remedy:

My source of knowledge for the home remedies came from …

 … family members (including passed down from generation to generation)

148 (28%)

79 (85%)

 < 0.001 ^a

 … social media

129 (24%)

65 (70%)

 < 0.001 ^a

 … internet searches

103 (19%)

51 (55%)

 < 0.001 ^a

 … recommendations from someone I know (not family members)

131 (25%)

49 (53%)

 < 0.001 ^a

 … self-learning

82 (15%)

36 (39%)

 < 0.001 ^a

 … books/ magazine

7 (1.3%)

15 (16%)

 < 0.001 ^b

Type of COVID-19 home remedy:

 Clove

167 (31%)

64 (69%)

 < 0.001 ^a

 Lemon

167 (31%)

64 (69%)

 < 0.001 ^a

 Coconut

0 (0%)

29 (31%)

 < 0.001 ^b

 Honey

116 (22%)

28 (30%)

0.081^a

 Eucalyptus oil

8 (1.5%)

15 (16%)

 < 0.001 ^b

 Traditional/ Herbal Cough Syrup

8 (1.5%)

7 (7.5%)

0.003^b

 Turmeric

7 (1.3%)

7 (7.5%)

0.002^b

 Habbatussauda

22 (4.1%)

0 (0%)

0.060 ^b