Phytotherapeutic approaches to treatment and prophylaxis in pediatric practice

Abstract

Medicinal plants, their extracts and herbal medicinal products occupy a growing share of medicines in the pharmacy worldwide. Historically, the first medicines were products of plants, as well as some of the most important medicines still in use today. With the development of phytochemistry, as part of the pharmaceutical science, great progress has been made in the isolation and in determining the value of a number of biologically active substances (BAS). Many plants have yielded pure substances (or natural products) that are applied in modern medical practice. Other compounds are potentially useful or have toxic effects. Traditional medicine incorporating many herbal medicines remains an important (and in some cases, the only) form of treatment in some countries, with increasing use in medical practice. On the other hand, the fact that in pediatric patients there is a limitation, mainly moral and ethical, of the number of medications to be administered due to the difficulty of conducting clinical trials in children, stimulates the use of herbal medicines of proven quality, effectiveness and safety among this group of patients.

Complementary Practices in Pharmacy and Their Relation to Glaucoma—Classification, Definitions, and Limitations

“…Phytotherapy (or herbalism) is a major branch of medicine treating medical conditions, promoting health, and preventing diseases using plant-based substances. The origin of the term is Ancient Greek-"φυτóν" (plant) and "θεραπεία" (service, medical treatment)-and was first used in 1913 by Henri Leclerc, who described medicinal plants and their empirical therapeutic use in clinical trials [14]. Originally, it was representative of applied medicine and pharmacy; however, as of recently, it is now classified into complementary medicine.…”

Rationalising Optimal Dosing of Phytotherapeutics For Use In Children: Current Status – Potential Solutions – Actions Needed

“…The limitation of conducting clinical trials in paediatric patients is, mainly based on ethical, but also on practical considerations. This results in limited scientific evidence on safety and efficacy for the use of HMPs in children, while there is widespread daily use in clinical practice 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 . In spite of this limitation, in recent years systematic reviews were performed on the use of HMPs by children with obesity 6 , respiratory tract infection 7 , gastrointestinal disorders 8 , 9 and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) 10 .…”

Phytotherapeutika für Kinder

“…Bis 2017 und wohl auch bis heute sind die Ergebnisse dieser Verordnung recht überschaubar 3 . Da die Durchführung pädiatrischer klinischer Studien schon aus ethischen Gründen nur sehr begrenzt möglich ist 4 5 6 7 , ist auch die wissenschaftliche Evidenz für die in der täglichen klinischen Praxis häufig eingesetzten pflanzlichen Arzneimittel (HMP) gering.…”