scholarly journals Herbal pharmacovigilance in Nepal: challenges and recommendations

F1000Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunil Shrestha ◽  
Krisha Danekhu ◽  
Binaya Sapkota ◽  
Nisha Jha ◽  
Bhuvan KC
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
World Health ◽  
Self Medication ◽  
Herbal Products ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Pharmacovigilance Center ◽  
Health Organization

Traditional herbal medicine is widely used globally. Despite its extensive use, there are no proper regulations on standardization and use of herbal medicinal products. Nepal has a rich biodiversity and demography comprising of different socio-ethnic groups. Herbal medicines are utilized prominently in Nepalese communities. These herbal products may cause side effects and adverse effects, such as nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity with the heavy metal toxicity associated with their powdered dosage forms. The side effects of using herbal products have been documented, such as bleeding with use of Ginkgo biloba and increase in blood pressure with use of Ephedra. Regulation of herbal products is essential to promote their optimal and rational use. Standard tools are available for assessing adverse effects of herbal products from health authorities, like the World Health Organization. In Nepal, self-medication practice using traditional herbal medicines is common and includes the concomitant use of allopathic. There is no focal point to address the regulatory issues on herbal products currently in Nepal. The Department of Drug Administration in Nepal is nominated as a national pharmacovigilance center and there are no reports on adverse events from the use of herbal medicines so far. However, not having any reports does not ensure the absolute safety and effectiveness of herbal products, so vigilance is warranted. Herbal pharmacovigilance is needed for Nepal to ensure safe and effective use of herbal medicines as the current pharmacovigilance ecosystem does not capture those cases. In the Nepalese context, the absence of reporting mechanisms may have underreported adverse cases of herbal products. The present opinion article aims to discuss the use of herbal products in Nepal, the challenges associated with the adverse reaction due to herbal medicines, and recommendations to overcome these challenges

scholarly journals Safety of Herbal Medicines in Children

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sevinç Polat ◽  
Ayşe Gürol
Keyword(s):  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
Pediatric Population ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
World Health ◽  
Herbal Products ◽  
Medicines Use ◽  
Herbal Medicinal ◽  
Health Complications ◽  
Health Organization

Herbal medicine is used by individuals of all ages, including children. Herbal medicine includes herbs, herbal materials and preparations, and finished herbal products. Herbal medicine or herbal products’ use for all ages have increased in recent years. Based on the data of the World Health Organization, almost 80% of the population in developing countries trust herbal medicines to meet their health needs. Herbal medicines use unconsciously as though these products are harmless. The use of herbal products in children is a concern because little information is available concerning the benefits and risks of these products in the pediatric population. This creates a serious problem in the treatment of children, and reveals a serious and under-recognized hazard in clinical care. The safety of most herbal medicinal products is absent since lack of suitable quality controls and not available of appropriate patient information. Owing to the possibility of serious health complications arising from the use of herbal products, it is mandatory to understand their use in the general population in order for appropriate measures to be put into place.

The Mechanistic Approach to Tackle Obesity Using Traditional Herbal Plants

2021 ◽  
pp. 104-123
Author(s):  
Saniyah Saleem Khan
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
World Health ◽  
Mechanistic Approach ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Herbal Plants ◽  
Treatment Of Obesity ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Surgical Treatments ◽  
Global Health Problem

Obesity is a medical metabolic condition where a person accumulates excess body fat that might affect their health. Obesity is a prevalent global health problem linked with other life-threatening chronic diseases like cardiovascular, certain types of cancer, diabetes, renal, cerebrovascular, bone, and muscle-related diseases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity is the fifth foremost cause of global deaths. Many allopathic drugs and surgical treatments for managing obesity are available in the market. However, these conventional methods have adverse side effects and chances of recurrence. For more than 2,000 years, herbal medicines have been used for the treatment of many diseases efficiently. This chapter addresses the current progress in the effectiveness of several herbal medications used for the treatment of obesity without causing side effects. The possible effects and mechanisms of using these herbaceous plants in the treatment of obese and overweight humans and animals are covered extensively.

scholarly journals Determination of the heavy metal contents of frequently used herbal products in Pakistan

2022 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 377-382
Author(s):  
Tehseen Quds ◽  
Maryam Ahmed ◽  
Sadia Shakeel ◽  
Nusrat Jalbani ◽  
Farah Mazhar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Absorption Spectrometry ◽  
World Health ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Arsenic Level ◽  
Herbal Products ◽  
Flame Atomic Absorption ◽  
Metal Contents ◽  
Health Organization

Purpose: To determine the heavy metal content of selected local and international herbal medicines sold for the treatment of various diseases in Pakistan. Methods: The different dosage forms of herbal medicines assessed were crude forms of syrups, gel, capsule, powder and tonic. Wet digestion method was used to prepare the herbal samples using nitric acid, and then analyzed for arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg), using MHS-15 mercury/hydride system and flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). Results: The investigated results displayed the Arsenic level (0.00 ppm to 0.580 ppm); Cadmium (0.001 ppm to 0.006 ppm); Lead (0.00 ppm to 1.078 ppm) and Mercury (0.001 ppm to 0.012 ppm). All results were found below the permissible limit of acceptability intake of the World Health Organization (WHO) and American Herbal Products Association (AHPA). The pH of the samples were in the range of 1.52 to 6.99. Conclusion: The findings reveal that the investigated herbal products available in Pakistan are safe with reference to heavy metals, and considered non-toxic for human consumption.

scholarly journals Monitoring the Safety of Herbal Medicines in Yemen: A Call for Action

2021 ◽  
pp. 59-63
Author(s):  
Mohammed Alshakka ◽  
Wafa F. S. Badulla ◽  
Sara Alshagga ◽  
Nasser A. Awadh ◽  
Nisha Jha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Control Production ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Health And Well Being

Consuming modern medicines with traditional herbs to treat and prevent diseases or even maintain health and well-being is common in different countries. Despite the high prevalence of this activity in Yemen, there is neither proper regulation that controls the production, standardization, quality control and use nor an appropriate system for herbal pharmacovigilance in Yemen. Yemenis prefer to use herbs before resorting to allopathic medicines, sometimes in concomitant or alternative to the allopathic medication. Most people believe that herbs are safe, though there are many side effects associated with herbal medicines. For the safe and effective use of traditional herbal medication, there should be a regulation from the official authorities that controls their preparation, selling, quality control, production, and monitoring of the side effects. The World Health Organization (WHO) stated a guideline for monitoring herbal safety within the current pharmacovigilance framework. However, monitoring and reporting the adverse effects of allopathic medicines in Yemen are limited, and the situation is more complicated and challenging for herbal medicines. The present article highlighted the challenges and provided recommendations for the application of effective herbal pharmacovigilance.

scholarly journals Medicinal Potential of Laxmi Taru (Simarouba Glauca DC)

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 40-45
Author(s):  
Lalit Raj Singh ◽  
Sunita Garg
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Anticancer Agents ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
World Health ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
High Profile ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Simarouba Glauca ◽  
Health Organization

Cancer is becoming a high-profile disease throughout the world and for its treatment most prevalent technique is chemotherapy which has its limitations due to many toxic or side effects on healthy or non-cancerous body parts. Therefore, there is a demand for alternative and supportive anticancer agents for treatments which are naturally-derived with minimal side effects. This review paper highlights the therapeutic importance, safety, and efficacy of the Laxmi Taru along with their active constituents used either as single plant-decoctions, extracts, or in combinations especially in some traditional herbal medicines. World Health organization (WHO) is promoting this concept as ‘Save plants to save lives.’ Among the key health issues, WHO have also said that, cancer is the second leading cause of death globally. The plethora of secondary metabolites (therapeutic agents) found in the plant are the rich source to find the alternative safe anti-cancer agents.  

Herbal Products for Common Auto-Inflammatory Disorders - Novel Approaches

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 161-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanoo Suroowan ◽  
Fawzi Mahomoodally
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Herbal Products ◽  
Inflammatory Disorders ◽  
Treatment Regimens ◽  
Synthetic Agents ◽  
Unique Approach ◽  
Novel Approaches

Background: Common auto-inflammatory disorders (CAIDs) constitute a wide array of ailments ranging from acute allergies to chronic conditions. Globally, CAIDs remain one of the leading causes of disability and morbidity. Despite playing a leading therapeutic role, the vast profusion of anti-inflammatory synthetic agents have not been able to fully resolve a panoply of CAIDs. Additionally, contemporary synthetic therapy approaches remain bounded by a wide array of limitations essentially being adverse effects and unaffordable costs. In this advent, the use of herbal products provides an interesting avenue to explore in view of developing such treatment regimens. Objective: This review article endeavors to highlight potential herbal products and isolated phytochemicals which can be of benefit in the prophylaxis, management, and treatment alongside avoiding the relapse of CAIDs. Conclusion: This review article has highlighted that herbals, herbal products, and isolated metabolites hold a huge potential in the prophylaxis, management, and treatment of CAIDs. Herbals can act on various targets involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory disorders. In addition, novel approaches for the management of CAIDs are numerous. Indeed, nanoparticles loaded with phytochemicals have been developed to specifically target the colon for IBD treatment. In silico approaches using herbals also offer unlimited avenues to decipher new pharmacophores. Investigating the potential of polyherbal formulations is another unique approach which can be investigated. Given the inefficacy of conventional medicines, the concomitant use of conventional and herbal medicines can also be explored.

Chemistry of Iodinated Contrast Media (ICM): A Minireview

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maithili Pramod Joshi ◽  
Ameya Chaudhari ◽  
Prashant S. Kharkar ◽  
Shreerang V. Joshi
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Contrast Media ◽  
Aqueous Solubility ◽  
Synthetic Methods ◽  
Essential Medicines ◽  
World Health ◽  
Iodinated Contrast Media ◽  
Environmental Aspects ◽  
Iodinated Contrast ◽  
Health Organization

: Historically, the use of Iodinated Contrast Media (ICM) for diagnostic purposes, particularly radiography and computed tomography (CT), is well-known. Many of the ICM are included in the World Health Organization (WHO)’s List of Essential Medicines. Depending on the chemotype and the presence of ionizable functional group(s), the ICM are categorized in the ionic/nonionic monomers/dimers. The lipophilicity, aqueous solubility, viscosity and osmolality are major characteristics dictating their use for one procedure versus the other. Over last several decades, substantial advancement occurred in the design and development of novel ICM, solely to reduce their propensity to cause adverse effects. Given the nature of their acute usage, some of the agents with appreciable toxicity are still used. Understanding their chemistry aspects is crucial to appreciate, acknowledge and justify the usage of these extremely important torch-bearers of diagnostic agent’s class. The present review article presents an in-depth overview of the synthetic methods, therapeutic indications, potential adverse effects along with the commercial and environmental aspects of ICM. The safety and tolerability of these agents is a field that has gained significant importance, which is given due importance in the discussion.

scholarly journals Influenza vaccination during pregnancy and influencing factors in Korea: A multicenter questionnaire study of pregnant women and obstetrics and gynecology doctors

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Byung Soo Kang ◽  
San Ha Lee ◽  
Woo Jeng Kim ◽  
Jeong Ha Wie ◽  
In Yang Park ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Influencing Factors ◽  
World Health ◽  
Obstetrics And Gynecology ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
The Government ◽  
Vaccine Information ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Maternal Influenza

Abstract Background Although the World Health Organization and health authorities in most countries recommend that pregnant women receive inactivated influenza virus vaccines, coverage remains low. This study aimed to investigate (1) the proportion of pregnant women who received an influenza vaccination and influencing factors and (2) the proportion of obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) doctors who routinely recommend influenza vaccination to pregnant women and influencing factors. Methods Two separate, anonymized questionnaires were developed for physicians and pregnant and postpartum women and were distributed to multicenters and clinics in South Korea. The proportions of women who received influenza vaccination during pregnancy and OBGYN doctors who routinely recommend the influenza vaccine to pregnant women were analyzed. Independent influencing factors for both maternal influenza vaccination and OBGYN doctors’ routine recommendations to pregnant women were analyzed using log-binomial regression analysis. Results The proportion of self-reported influenza vaccination during pregnancy among 522 women was 63.2%. Pregnancy-related independent factors influencing maternal influenza vaccination were “(ever) received information about influenza vaccination during pregnancy” (OR 8.9, 95% CI 4.17–19.01), “received vaccine information about from OBGYN doctors” (OR 11.44, 95% CI 5.46–24.00), “information obtained from other sources” (OR 4.38, 95% CI 2.01–9.55), and “second/third trimester” (OR 2.41, 95% CI 1.21–4.82).. Among 372 OBGYN doctors, 76.9% routinely recommended vaccination for pregnant women. Independent factors effecting routine recommendation were “working at a private clinic or hospital” (OR 5.33, 95% CI 2.44–11.65), “awareness of KCDC guidelines” (OR 3.11, 95% CI 1.11–8.73), and “awareness of the 2019 national free influenza vaccination program for pregnant women” (OR 4.88, 95% CI 2.34–10.17). OBGYN doctors most commonly chose ‘guidelines proposed by the government or public health (108, 46%) and academic committees (59, 25%), as a factor which expect to affect the future recommendation Conclusion This study showed that providing information about maternal influenza vaccination, especially by OBGYN doctors, is crucial for increasing vaccination coverage in pregnant women. Closer cooperation between the government and OBGYN academic societies to educate OBGYN doctors might enhance routine recommendations.

scholarly journals A Case of Polyneuropathy Following a Single Dose of Diethylcarbamazine and Albendazole During Mass Administration of Drug - A Case Report

1970 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-58
Author(s):  
SC Kohli ◽  
UK Shrestha ◽  
VM Alurkar ◽  
A Maskey ◽  
M Parajuli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Abdominal Pain ◽  
Single Dose ◽  
Case Report ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
World Health Organization ◽  
Mass Drug Administration ◽  
World Health ◽  
Medical Sciences ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

The global program to eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis created by The World Health organization in 1997 is based on mass administration of single annual doses of diethylcarbamazine ( DEC) plus albendazole in non African regions and of albendazole plus ivermectin in Africa. The usual side effects of DEC treatment include fever, chills, arthralgia, headaches, nausea, and vomiting. Albendazole is associated with relatively few side effects consisting of occasional nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, headache, reversible alopecia, elevated aminotransferases and rarely leucopenia and rash. We report a case of polyneuropathy in a young individual following DEC and albendazole during mass drug administration. Keywords: Albendazole; DEC; Polyneuropathy. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njms.v1i1.5800   Nepal Journal of Medical Sciences. 2012; 1(1): 56-58

scholarly journals RESEARCH ON SELF MEDICATION: A HYPE OR A HOPE? A LITERATURE REVIEW.

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 28
Author(s):  
Mythri Halappa
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Recent Trend ◽  
Public Health Practice ◽  
World Health ◽  
Public Health Importance ◽  
Self Medication ◽  
Over The Counter ◽  
Health Organization

AbstractMedications are one of the most important tools in public health practice. Since the 1980s, self‑medication is of prime public health importance as World Health Organization, in order to reduce the burden on health care professionals changed some prescription drugs to be sold over the counter. Each drug has its own advantages & disadvantages. Hence, always they have to be taken with caution. Considering this a recent trend has increased in surveying the prevalence of self medication. Hence, this review critically evaluated the studies to put a light on basic concept of self medication.Key words: Self medication, Drug abuse, Self care, Substance abuse, Antibiotic usage. 

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document