Herbal medicines are used widely in the United States, and according to a recent survey, the majority of people who use herbal medicines do not inform their physicians about their use. Herbal medicines can cause abnormal test results and confusion in proper diagnosis. Herbal medicines can alter test results by direct interference with certain immunoassays. Drugherb interactions can result in un...

Herbal medicines are biochemically active compounds that have the potential to interact with drugs used in anesthesia. Lack of herbal standardization makes definitive diagnosis of herb-anesthesia interaction difficult. However, identified herbal use and an understanding of possible interactions can alert the anesthesia provider and raise suspicion of possible herb-related complications. In a re...

Herbal medicines and natural products have been the most productive source of drug development and there is a large line of evidence on the applications of herbal medicines and natural products for the management of body function and the treatment of aliments. The multiple bioactive components in herbal medicines and natural products can explain the multiple targets effect in their medical appl...

Herbal medicine is used as the primary source of healthcare for approximately 75-80% of the world population and its use is particularly widespread in the developing countries, where it is considered more culturally acceptable, less dangerous and a more natural form of medicine that is compatible with the human body. Herbal products are defined as “herbal preparations produced by subjecting her...

BACKGROUND The use of herbal medicines among pregnant women in Nigeria has not been widely studied. METHODS Opinion of 595 pregnant women in three geopolitical zones in Nigeria on the use of herbal medicines, safety on usage, knowledge of potential effects of herbal remedies on the fetus and potential benefits or harms that may be derived from combining herbal remedies with conventional thera...

Introduction Women often use herbal remedies as a complement or alternative to traditional medicine. Guided by the Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking, this study examined use of herbal remedies among mothers of young children living in the Central Appalachian Region. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among mothers of young children (n = 178). The outcome measure of interes...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and identify factors, which predict the use of herbal medicines among Malaysian adults. METHODS Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected via face-to-face interview using structured questionnaire from convenience sample of adults from four towns in Malaysia. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify t...

BACKGROUND There is growing concern that serious interactions are occurring between prescribed/over the counter and herbal medicines and that there is a lack of disclosure of herbal use by patients to doctors. This study explores women's perspectives about the safety of herbal remedies, herb-drug interactions and communication with doctors about herbal medicines. METHODS Qualitative, cross-se...

AIM Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is commonly used all over the world, and herbal medicines are the most preferred ways of CAM. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of herbal medicine use among patients with chronic diseases. METHODOLOGY A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from April 2014 to December 2014 among patients who had been diagnosed with ...

The bacterial extract OM-89 used for the prevention and treatment of recurrent urinary tract infections constitutes an effective immunostimulant in vitro and in vivo. Here we demonstrate that OM-89 shows mitogenic properties towards murine spleen cell cultures from LPS responder and non-responder mice. In macrophages the extract induces the translocation of NF-kappaB into the cell nucleus and R...