Herbal Remedies and Children: Do They Work? Are They Harmful?

PEDIATRICS ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 112 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 240-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan D. Woolf
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Herbal Remedies ◽  
Herbal Products ◽  
Safety And Efficacy ◽  
Primary Care Clinicians

More parents are considering the use of herbal remedies to maintain their children’s good health and to treat their illnesses. They look to pediatricians and other primary care clinicians for advice concerning the safety and efficacy of herbal products for children. This article reviews principles for the clinician to keep in mind while investigating the literature on herbal medicine and addressing the use of herbal medicines with parents.

scholarly journals Clinical Evaluation of Herbal Medicine (ICH-012) in Treating Acute Cerebral Haemorrhage: Safety and Efficacy from 6- to 72-Hour Time Window (CRRICHTrial-II)

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qixin Zhang ◽  
Liling Zeng ◽  
Xiuyan Chen ◽  
Yuexiang Zhou ◽  
Baoying Gong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
Ct Scan ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Critical Time ◽  
Cerebral Haemorrhage ◽  
High Morbidity ◽  
Safety And Efficacy ◽  
Link Type

Background. Hypertensive intracerebral haemorrhage (HICH), which is characterized by rapid change, high morbidity, and mortality, is extremely dangerous. Both medical and surgical treatments lack definitive evidence and remain controversial. A prospective RCT that we have conducted has shown that the usage of the herbal medicine ICH-012 within 6 h of the event may increase the risk of haematoma enlargement and gastrointestinal bleeding. However, the volume of haematoma remains stable after 6 h. Thus, we will increase the time window to the period from 6 to 72 h after onset to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ICH-012 treating ICH (ClinicalTrial.gov ID: NCT03354026). Methods/Design. The CRRICHTrial-II study, a prospective, double-blinded, controlled, multicentre RCT, includes three groups: A, B, and C. Group A patients were treated with 8 herbal medicines (with 2 herbal medicines of Hirudo and Tabanus as well as 6 other combined herbal medicines of Group B) and Group C were placebo. Patients should meet all the inclusion criteria: age between 18 and 80 and diagnosis of HICH by brain CT scan between 6 and 72 h from the onset. The CT scan will be taken at four critical time points: baseline, between 6 and 72h, 24h after onset, and between 10 and 14 days after onset. The drug intervention lasts 10 days, and there is a follow-up visit taken after 90 days. The haematoma enlargement after 24 h onset as demonstrated by CT is the primary outcome. Discussion. A large amount of data from high-quality RCTs is needed for the extensive clinical application of herbal medicine. The CRRICHTrial-II will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of ICH-012 in a safer time window between 6 and 72 h and investigate the possible mechanisms of action and direction of herbal medicine in the haematoma growth after HICH. Trial registration at ClinicalTrial.gov, ID: NCT03354026, is registered on 23rd Nov. 2017.

The potential impact of the use of homeopathic and herbal remedies on monitoring the safety of prescription products

2005 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 219-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
K N Woodward
Keyword(s):  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
Drug Interactions ◽  
Adverse Reactions ◽  
Conventional Medicine ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Adverse Event Reporting ◽  
Herbal Remedies ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Conventional Drug ◽  
Potential Impact

The purpose of this paper is to explore the possibility that adverse reactions and drug interactions arising from the use of homeopathic and herbal medicines could lead to confusion when adverse reactions to conventional medicines are reported. An extensive literature review was conducted on the occurrence of adverse reactions and drug interactions following the use of homeopathic or herbal remedies, and the potential for these to confound adverse event reporting to conventional medicines considered. The survey demonstrates the potential for herbal remedies and homeopathic products, to produce adverse drug reactions or drug interactions, and shows the scope for potential for confusion with those arising from conventional medicines. There is a need for greater awareness that adverse reactions apparently due to a conventional medicine, might in reality be due to a herbal medicine or a drug interaction between a herbal medicine and a conventional drug, particularly when a health professional is unaware of the extent of a patient's selfmedication with alternative therapies.

scholarly journals Regulation of herbal medicines in Brazil: advances and perspectives

2011 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 467-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Cecília Bezerra Carvalho ◽  
João Paulo Silvério Perfeito ◽  
Leandro Viana Costa e Silva ◽  
Lívia Santos Ramalho ◽  
Robelma France de Oliveira Marques ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Health System ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Health Surveillance ◽  
Safety And Efficacy ◽  
Unified Health System

The National Policy of Integrative and Complementary Practices (PNPIC) in the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), and The National Policy of Medicinal Plants and Herbal Medicines (PNPMF) were launched in 2006. Based on these, the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) re-edited rules related to herbal medicines such as the Guideline to herbal medicine registration (RDC 14/10), the Good Manufacture Practices Guideline (RDC 17/10) and the List of references to assess the safety and efficacy of herbal medicines (IN 05/10). The requisites to prove herbal medicine's safety and efficacy were updated. Therefore, this review aims at presenting and commenting these new rules.

scholarly journals Herbal Medicines—Are They Effective and Safe during Pregnancy?

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 171
Author(s):  
Beata Sarecka-Hujar ◽  
Beata Szulc-Musioł
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Echinacea Purpurea ◽  
Herbal Remedies ◽  
Efficacy And Safety ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Herbal Products ◽  
Morning Sickness ◽  
Active Substances ◽  
In Pregnancy

Since the teratogenicity of Thalidomide has been proven, herbal products are more commonly used in pregnancy to not only relieve morning sickness but also to fight infections. These products are frequently considered as natural and therefore harmless. However, herbs contain a number of active substances that, when used during pregnancy, can affect the development of the fetus. Often, pregnant women do not consult the usage of herbal medicines with a physician. The access to these products is easy and treatment of certain ailments with the use of herbs is common in many countries. The aim of the present literature review was to discuss available data regarding the efficacy and safety of cranberry, chamomile, Echinacea purpurea, garlic, ginger, Ginkgo biloba, and peppermint, which are used to counteract the most common ailments during pregnancy, i.e., infections and pregnancy-related ailments (e.g., nausea and vomiting, dizziness, and headache). Analysis of available data showed that ginger is one of the most extensively analyzed herbal remedies. The dose of ginger below 1000 mg per day may help to relief hypereremesis gravidarum, and such an amount of ginger did not increase frequency of adverse effects for either woman or developing fetus. Data regarding other herbs are most often heterogeneous and give conflicting results with no clear conclusions. However, all herbal products should be used with a special caution in pregnancy. Further high-quality human studies should be determined to confirm the safe doses of herbal products which could be used by pregnant or breast-feeding women.

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.

scholarly journals Some Thoughts on the Safety Issues Relating to Chinese Herbal Products

2005 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 462-469
Author(s):  
Dan Bensky ◽  
Erich Stöger
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Patient Encounter ◽  
Herbal Products ◽  
Safety And Efficacy ◽  
Medical Practitioners ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Chinese Herbal

As Chinese medicine becomes more and more integrated into the fabric of health care in economically developed countries, it runs into a variety of problems. These relate to education, licensing, and communications. In this article, we would like to focus on one important aspect—what does it mean to prescribe Chinese herbal medicines (CHM) responsibly at the present time? This issue confronts all Chinese herbalists (CH) in almost every patient encounter, and involves two major points that medical practitioners of all persuasions have to be cognizant of and which could be approached in a number of ways: safety and efficacy. How do we prescribe in a way that promotes the health of the patient without doing harm? We need to remember that all medicines, herbal or otherwise, have potential side effects and risks to patients, and that we need to take appropriate measures.

scholarly journals Prevalence and Correlates of Herbal Medicine Use among Women Seeking Care for Infertility in Freetown, Sierra Leone

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Bai James ◽  
Lexina Taidy-Leigh ◽  
Abdulai Jawo Bah ◽  
Joseph Sam Kanu ◽  
Jia Bainga Kangbai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Herbal Remedies ◽  
Medicine Use ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional

In resource-poor countries where access to infertility care is limited, women may turn to traditional medicine to achieve motherhood. It is unknown whether Sierra Leonean women with such condition use herbal medicine. This study investigates the prevalence and factors associated with herbal medicine use among women seeking care for infertility. This was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study conducted among women seeking care for infertility at various clinics within Freetown, Sierra Leone. Data analysis included Chi-square tests and logistic regression. Out of the 167 women that participated, 36.5% used herbal medicine for infertility treatment. Women with no formal (AOR 4.03, CL: 1.38–11.76, p=0.011), primary education (AOR: 6.23, CL: 2.02–19.23, p=0.001) and those that visited a traditional medicine practitioner (AOR: 20.05, CL: 2.10–192.28, p=0.009) as well as women suffering from other reproductive health problems (AOR: 2.57, CL: 1.13–5.83, p=0.024) were more likely to use herbal medicines. Friends and family (n=57, 96.7%) were the main influencers of herbal medicine use. Only (n=12) 19.7% of users disclosed their status to their healthcare provider. Over half (n=32, 52.5%) could not remember the name of the herb they used. Luffa acutangula (n=29, 100%) was the herbal medicinal plant users could recall. Herbal medicine use among women seeking care for infertility in Freetown is common. Healthcare providers should be aware of the potential dyadic use of herbal and allopathic medicines by their patients and be knowledgeable about commonly used herbal remedies as well as being proactive in communicating the potential risks and benefits associated with their use.

scholarly journals Tradition and Perspectives of Arab Herbal Medicine: A Review

2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 475-479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bashar Saad ◽  
Hassan Azaizeh ◽  
Omar Said
Keyword(s):  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Modern Medicine ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
Herbal Remedies ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
Herbal Products ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Historical Importance ◽  
The Mediterranean

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), including herbal medicine, are popular in the general population worldwide. Parallel to the increasing interest in ‘modern’ CAM therapies and the historical importance of Arab medicine, there is also a similar trend in research activities dealing with the efficacy and safety of medicinal plants in our region. Historical and current studies and surveys indicate that the Eastern region of the Mediterranean has been distinguished throughout the generations with a rich inventory of natural medicinal herbs. It is well documented that indigenous Arab medicine has contributed greatly to the development of modern medicine in Europe and remains one of the closest forms of original European medicine. The rapid increase in consumption of herbal remedies worldwide has been stimulated by several factors, including the notion that all herbal products are safe and effective. This article presents a systematic review on traditional Arab medicine including historical background, medical innovations introduced by Arab physicians in the field of safety and efficacy of herbal medicine and a state-of-the-art description of traditional Arab herbal medicine in the Mediterranean region.

scholarly journals An Overview Knowledge and Usage of Herbal Medicines during The COVID-19 Pandemic by Students of Poltekkes Kemenkes Jakarta II

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-114
Author(s):  
Nanang Kurnia Achmadi ◽  
Yayan Setiawan ◽  
Aprilia Ayu Purwati
Keyword(s):  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Sampling Method ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Herbal Remedies ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Knowledge Usage ◽  
Global Health Problem

COVID-19 has now become a global health problem. In Indonesia, there are 828.026 confirmed cases as of January 10, 2021.(1) To deal with this current situation, prevention efforts are needed. One of them increases endurance by using herbal remedies. In addition to having been used for generations, several studies have shown that herbal medicines have the potential to increase endurance.The purpose of this study was to describe the knowledge and usage of herbal medicines during the COVID-19 pandemic.This study using the purposive sampling method with one hundred respondents. Data were collected based on primary data using a google form questionnaire with univariate analysis. On Preliminary results are Most of respondents had pretty good knowledge in forty eight point eight percent, and jamu on sixty nine point five percent as the herbal medicine of choice, when pharmacies to get herbal medicines. Moreover, the implications are the knowledge of using herbal medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic is good and Jamu is the most used herbal medicine based of the types. This research will be continued with more samples to better represent the conclusions.   Keywords: Knowledge, Usage, Herbal Medicines

scholarly journals Use of herbal medicines in children following EBM criteria. Effectiveness and tolerability of echinacea, cranberry, and chamomile

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-66
Author(s):  
Domenico Careddu
Keyword(s):  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
World Health ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Safety And Efficacy ◽  
Paediatric Age ◽  
Important Challenge ◽  
Regulatory Bodies ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Based Medicine

The recent appreciation of phytotherapy is related to the evidence of efficacy of herbal medicines, as well as to the continuous improvement of scientific and clinical knowledge of their effects. Unfortunately among herbal medicine it is frequent to find products that are neither registered nor controlled by regulatory bodies, with a lack of proofs regarding their constituents and quality.Phytotherapy can find its role among medical therapies only if each medication is standardised and controlled according to the requirements of an official Pharmacopoeia, and produced on the basis of Good Manufacturing Practices similar to those used in pharmaceutical companies. This is even more important in paediatric age, also because often parents administer herbal medications to their children, without asking the physician or the pharmacist for advice, being convinced that “natural products” are always safe and do not have adverse events or interactions. The evaluation of these products, ensuring their safety and efficacy through registration and regulation,is an important challenge. To improve an evidence-based and safe use, herbal medicines should be titrated, standardised and labelled. Clinical applications, pharmacology, dosage, possible contraindications and precautions (i.e. during pregnancy, breastfeeding and paediatric age), and potential adverse reactions should be clearly described and codified, for example in the officialPharmacopeia and in the various Monographs (ESCOP, The European Scientific Cooperative On Phytotherapy, and WHO, World Health Organization).The purpose of this article is to provide a review on the safety and efficacy of some medicinal plants widely used in the paediatric age: echinacea, cranberry, and chamomile. The final aim is to help to use herbal medicine on the basis of the criteria of the Evidence Based Medicine.

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