Drug interactions between herbal medicines and oral contraceptives

The use of herbal medicines has grown considerably in recent years, due to the erroneous thought that products of plant origin are harmless, and therefore do not cause adverse effects or have drug interactions. The use of these drugs with oral contraceptives can bring risks to patients. The potential negative clinical effects that can be caused by these drug interactions must be emphasized to prevent risks and ensure the effectiveness of this contraceptive method that is one of the most used by women seeking to prevent pregnancy. The users of herbal medicines usually believe that herbal medicine is a therapeutic alternative free of adverse effects and/or incapable of causing drug interactions, but herbal medicines are composed of several chemical compounds, which, in turn, may be responsible for antagonistic and/or synergistic effects with other drugs. The main interactions that can occur with contraceptives are with popularly used herbal medicines such as licorice, alfalfa, cannabis, cimicifuga, St. John's wort, ginseng, kava-kava, saw palmetto, sene, and soy. The herbal medicines have several chemical compounds, among which we highlight the secondary metabolites, responsible for the pharmacological actions and mechanism of action of drug interactions, which are often similar in plants that have in their composition the same metabolites, as in the case of saponins and isoflavones that reduce the speed of biotransformation of oral contraceptives.

Piper methysticum G. Forst (Piperaceae) in the central nervous system: phytochemistry, pharmacology and mechanism of action

Due to the continuous increase in incidents of diseases and disorders in the central nervous system as neurodegenerative disease, the growth of studies that seek to use herbal medicines has been observed, since these are more easily produced and more economically viable, in addition to having side effects to a lesser extent when compared to existing synthetic drugs. In this way, a wide variety of plants have been analyzed for their medicinal purposes and this review presents papers published from 1970 to 2021 that describe the chemical composition pharmacological activities and elucidates mechanisms of action in the central nervous system (CNS) of the species Piper methysticum (Kava-kava). The Kava-kava has a class of compounds that include tannins, alkaloids, benzoic acid, cinnamic acid, sugars, bornyl-cinnamate, stigmasterol, flavocavaines, mucilages, pyrones, tetrahydroiangonins, phytochemicals that are responsible for the pharmacological activities of this plant being thus more studied as anxiolytic, sedative and neuroprotection. Some action mechanisms that describe the performance of kava in the CNS were also addressed, Being the main ones related to blocking of sodium and calcium ion channels, modulation of the erythroid 2 pathway, to receptors such as γ-aminobutyric acid, glutamatergics, glycine and cannabinoid, as well as monoamine oxidase and acetylcholinesterase enzymes, in addition to neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. Therefore, this study aims to open new paths for more in-depth pharmacological studies on Kava-kava, and its use in the central nervous system.

UTILIZAÇÃO DA PIPER METHYSTICUM (L.) E PASSIFLORA INCARNATA (L.) NO TRATAMENTO DE TRANSTORNO DE ANSIEDADE GENERALIZADA

As medidas de controle recomendadas no contexto da pandemia do COVID-19 tem afetado a população em muitos calibres das condições de vida e de saúde e, entre elas, de forma significativa o componente de saúde mental como a ansiedade e a depressão. Objetivo: Revisar, através da literatura científica, a eficácia, interações farmacológicas e benefícios do uso dos fitoterápicos kava-kava (Piper methysticum L.) e maracujá (Passiflora incarnata L.) como alternativas terapêuticas para o tratamento do Transtorno de Ansiedade Generalizada (TAG), agravados em tempos de pandemia. Métodos: Trata-se de uma revisão bibliográfica sistemática qualitativa, na qual utilizou-se os sites eletrônicos SciELO, PubMed, Google acadêmico, ANVISA e OMS para a busca de dados. Resultados: Observou-se que os principais benefícios da utilização de fitoterápicos diz respeito ao custo reduzido, à facilidade de acesso e ao baixo índice de efeitos colaterais e reações adversas. Encontrou-se um número considerável de informações que demonstraram a utilização e a procura de fitoterápicos à base de P. Incarnata para tratar as psicopatologias como o TAG, durante o isolamento social e a quarentena. Não foram encontrados números significativos de estudos capazes de comprovar a utilização da P. Methysticum durante a pandemia da COVID-19. Considerações finais: Sugere-se que as espécies P. Incarnata e P. Methysticumão eficazes para o tratamento do TAG por possuir alto valor medicinal com propriedades farmacológicas ansiolíticas, anticonvulsivantes e sedativas.

Dietary and Herbal Supplements for Sleep

Dietary supplements, including vitamins, minerals, and herbal medicines, are used for many common conditions, including insomnia. An example is valerian, one of the top-selling botanicals in the United States. Other dietary supplements used for sleep are the hormone melatonin, the mineral magnesium, and the herbal medicines chamomile, hops, kava kava, lavender, lemon balm, and passionflower. There are both mechanistic studies and clinical trials of varying methodological quality exploring the efficacy of these products in affecting sleep quantity and quality. An additional factor with the use of any dietary supplement is assuring safety, by understanding both possible adverse effects and any supplement-pharmaceutical interactions.

Nutraceuticals for Sleep Disorders

: Sleep is considered as one of the most important aspect for maintaining a healthy life. For a person to function normally at least 6-8 hours of sleep daily is necessary. Sleep not only affects our mood, but also regulates the efficiency of work done. Many complications arise due to inadequacy of sleep. The unhealthy food and lifestyle choices have made us more prone to sleep disorders. The medications which are used for the treatment of sleep disorders are mainly habit forming and have tendencies of withdrawal symptoms. This inadequacy in medication has lead to search for newer, better options. The field of nutraceuticals fits apt for treating such disorders. The quality of being non-toxic, non-habit forming, and being practically more efficient has had made it an excellent option. Nutraceuticals make use of food or part of food for the treatment or to prevent any disease. Remarkable positive effects of nutraceuticals like Caffeine, Chamomile, Kava kava, Cherries and Cherry juice, L tryptophan, Valerian, Vitamin D, Marijuana, melatonin, Lemon balmhad been mentioned in the treatment of sleep disorders. The present review gives a general overview of nutraceuticals and discusses their use in sleep disorders.