Herbal Medicine in the United States: Review of Efficacy, Safety, and Regulation

Bent, Stephen

doi:10.1007/s11606-008-0632-y

Cited by 507 publications

(272 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…[32] Chamomile is traditionally taken as a herbal tea to reduce anxiety, aid sleep, and help alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms. [33] Research has shown it has antiinflammatory, antibacterial and sedating properties. [34] Two studies investigating the reasons for herbal use in pregnancy found that chamomile was taken for relaxation and to help sleep [24,26] and to aid digestion and help alleviate the symptoms of nausea.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in pregnancy: Data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)

Bishop

Northstone

Green

et al. 2011

Complementary Therapies in Medicine

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word count: 297 Main text word count: 2999Page 2 of 16 ObjectivesTo report the frequency of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) use by a population of pregnant women in the UK. DesignFour postal self-completion questionnaires completed at 8, 12, 18 and 32 weeks' gestation provided the source of CAMs used. Questions asked for written descriptions about the use of any treatments, pills, medicines, ointments, homeopathic medicines, herbal medicines, supplements, drinks and herbal teas. SettingAn observational, population-based, cohort study of parents and children of 14541 pregnant women residing within the former county of Avon in south-west England. Data was available for 14115 women. ResultsOver a quarter (26.7%; n=3774) of women had used a CAM at least once in pregnancy, the use rising from 6% in the 1 st trimester to 12.4% in the 2 nd to 26.3% in the 3 rd . Herbal teas were the most commonly reported CAM at any time in pregnancy (17.7%; n=2499) followed by homeopathic medicine (14.4%; n=2038) and then herbal medicine (5.8%; n=813). The most commonly used herbal product was chamomile used by 14.6% of women, the most commonly used homeopathic product was Arnica used by 3.1% of women. Other CAMs (osteopathy, aromatherapy, acupuncture/acupressure, Chinese herbal medicine, chiropractic, cranial sacral therapy, hypnosis, non-specific massage and reflexology) accounted for less than 1% of users. ConclusionsCAM use in pregnancy, where a wide range of CAMs has been assessed, has not been widely reported. Studies that have been conducted report varying results to this study (26.7%) by between 13.3% and 87% of pregnant women. Survey results will be affected by a number of factors namely the inclusion/exclusion of vitamins and minerals, the timing of data collection, the country of source, the number of women surveyed, and the different selection criteria of either recruiting women to the study or of categorising and identifying a CAM treatment or product.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in pregnancy: Data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)

Bishop

Northstone

Green

et al. 2011

Complementary Therapies in Medicine

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“…[55][56][57] In Africa or Central America, intoxication is sometimes endemic, since these plants are often used for making tea. In Western countries, cases of herb-induced hepatitis have been observed after use of preparations containing Symphytum or Chinese herbs.…”

Section: Toxicitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-medication with nutritional supplements and herbal over-thecounter products

Eichhorn

Greten

Efferth

2011

Nat. Prod. Bioprospect.

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Abstract:In recent years, the popularity increased for nutritional supplements and herbal products. Prescription drugs, but not herbal therapies are paid by health insurances. They are sold over-the-counter (OTC) on the patients' own expense. However, there are potential risks of self-medication, e.g. incorrect self-diagnosis, severe adverse reactions, dangerous drug interactions, risk of addiction etc. They are often used by patients at their own discretion without knowledge of and control by their physicians. Certain users are at risk of intoxication. Multiple medications taken by older patients increase the risk for adverse drug reactions, drug-drug interactions, and compliance problems for this age group (polypharmacy). Herbals should be discontinued prior to operations to avoid interactions with anesthetics or anticoagulants. Herbal preparations may also be carcinogenic or interfere with cancer treatments. Pregnant women use various OTC preparations. However, in many cases, it is unclear whether their use is safe for mother or baby. Self-medication with herbals is also largely distributed among anxious and depressive patients, and patients with other conditions and symptoms. The popularity of herbal products has also brought concerns on quality, efficacy and safety. Cases of botanical misidentification, contaminations with heavy metals, pesticides, radioactivity, organic solvents, microbials as well as adulteration with chemical drugs necessitate the establishment of international quality control standards. Hepatotoxic effects have been reported for more than 300 plant species, and some commonly used herbs have been demonstrated to interact with Western medication. Health care professionals have a critical responsibility assessing the self-care ability of their patients. Databases are available for pharmacists with information on action, side effects and toxicities as well as herb-drug interactions. There is a need for established guidelines regarding the correct use of nutritional supplements and herbal OTC preparations (phytovigilance). Physicians, pharmacists, and other health care professionals have to counsel patients and the general public on the benefits and risks associated with herbal drugs. Information centers for consumers and general practitioners are needed, and convincing evidence on safety and efficacy of herbal products has to be demonstrated in placebo-controlled, double blind and randomized clinical trials.

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“…Many of the developing countries practice traditional medicine as its main source of healthcare, which is usually of plant origin [1,2]. Today, nearly 88% of the global populations switch to plant derived medicines as their first line of defense for maintaining health and combating diseases [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Protective Effect of <i>Alpina nigra</i> Leaves Extract in Mouse Liver Injury Induced by Carbon Tetrachloride

Islam¹,

Chowdhury²,

Uddin³

et al. 2016

J. Sci. Res.

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The present study was aimed to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of methanol extract against carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ) induced hepatic damage in rats. CCl 4 caused liver damage in rats manifested by significant rise in serum enzyme levels. To examine the effect of the extract male albino rats were used and extract was administered orally at a dose of 300 mg/kg once daily. The results obtained showed that there were reductions in the activities of serum SGOT, SGPT, ALP, total protein, total bilirubin from 97.67±1.78, 275.67±2.86, 934 ± 1.41, 1.13±0.227 and 7.50±0.707 in animals treated with toxic doses of CCl 4 to 78.33±1.08, 53±1.41, 870±0.707, 0.67±0.04 and 6.47±0.356 in animal treated with extract before CCl 4 intoxication. The extract could also repair the abnormal lipid profile. From these results, it is concluded that methanol extract of Alpina nigra leaves has hepatoprotective activity in CCl 4 -induced hepatic damage in rats.

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Herbal Medicine in the United States: Review of Efficacy, Safety, and Regulation

Cited by 507 publications

References 49 publications

The use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in pregnancy: Data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)

The use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in pregnancy: Data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)

Self-medication with nutritional supplements and herbal over-thecounter products

Protective Effect of <i>Alpina nigra</i> Leaves Extract in Mouse Liver Injury Induced by Carbon Tetrachloride

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