Purpose. Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is a common gynecological complaint among adolescent girls and women of reproductive age. This study aims to review the findings of published articles on the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of herbal medicines for PD. Methods. In vitro and in vivo studies of herbal compounds, individual herbal extracts, or herbal formula decoctions published from their inception...

Supported by a usage history that predates written records and the perception that "natural" ensures safety, herbal products have increasingly been incorporated into Western health care. Consumers often self-administer these products concomitantly with conventional medications without informing their health care provider(s). Such herb-drug combinations can produce untoward effects when the herb...

BACKGROUND The use of herbal medicines is on the increase globally and they are usually supplied in pharmacies as non-prescription medicines. Pharmacists are, therefore, responsible for educating and informing the consumers about rational use of herbal medicines. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the knowledge of pharmacists in Lagos, Nigeria with regards to the herbal medicines they supplied by their ph...

This study explored Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists' (CRNAs') knowledge about 8 common herbal supplements that potentially cause perioperative complications, beliefs regarding herbal supplement-anesthesia interactions, and preoperative assessment practices. A multiple-choice descriptive survey was mailed to a random sample of CRNAs from the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AA...

BACKGROUND Herbal and dietary supplements are commonly used throughout the World. There is a tendency for underreporting their ingestion by patients and the magnitude of their use is underrecognised by Physicians. Herbal hepatotoxicity is not uncommonly encountered, but the precise incidence and manifestations have not been well characterised. AIMS To review the epidemiology, presentation and...

BACKGROUND Biologic based therapies are frequently used as complementary medicines in diabetes. The aim of this study was to identify the commonly used herbal remedies and their preparations in Sri Lankan patients with Type 2 diabetes. METHODS This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study on 220 diabetic patients using herbal remedies for perceived glycemic benefit. RESULTS All the patients ...

Supported by a usage history that predates written records and the perception that “natural” ensures safety, herbal products have increasingly been incorporated into Western health care. Consumers often self-administer these products concomitantly with conventional medications without informing their health care provider(s). Such herb–drug combinations can produce untoward effects when the herb...

BACKGROUND Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, itching skin disease, and conventional therapies offer inadequate symptom management. Patients with AD are increasingly turning to Chinese medicine. OBJECTIVE We systematically evaluated the clinical evidence of the efficacy and safety of oral Chinese herbal medicine for AD. METHODS Searches were conducted on major electronic databases using t...

RATIONAL Research suggests that increased consumption of herbal drugs is raising important public health concerns such as safety issues that may involve adverse effects and herb-drug interactions. The main objective of this study is to investigate the role of Pharmacists in herbal drug information dissemination. METHOD We investigated the demographics, knowledge, attitude and practices regard...

BACKGROUND Many randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of herbal interventions have been conducted in the ASEAN Communities. Good quality reporting of RCTs is essential for assessing clinical significance. Given the importance ASEAN placed on herbal medicines, the reporting quality of RCTs of herbal interventions among the ASEAN Communities deserved a special attention. OBJECTIVES To systematica...