BACKGROUND/AIM A considerable number of patients suffering from diabetes mellitus (DM) turn to self-medication using medicinal plants, preparations, and medicine. The aim of this study was to investigate self-medication using medicinal plants and the potential influence of health care professionals' advice or media information regarding the use of herbal dietary supplements with hypoglycemic ef...

Cyclosporine (CyA) is a well-known immunosuppressant with a narrow therapeutic window. Its bioavailability is affected by many other traditional drugs and herbal extracts. Cytochrome P-450 isoenzymes CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 and protein P-glycoprotein (P-gp) are involved in CyA bioavailability. Interactions of CyA with herbal extracts are not well known, but, given their increased concomitant use, it ...

BACKGROUND Non-ulcer dyspepsia is predominantly a self-managed condition, although it accounts for a significant number of general practitioner consultations and hospital referrals. Herbal medicinal products are often used for the relief of dyspeptic symptoms. AIMS : To critically assess the evidence for and against herbal medicinal products for the treatment of non-ulcer dyspepsia. METHODS...

Background. The World Health Organization estimates that about 80% of the world's population uses herbal medicine to treat various illnesses as means of primary healthcare. However, during preparation, herbal plants may be exposed to contamination by potential pathogens, and this may lead to infections. The aim of this study was to determine bacterial contamination of herbal medicinal products ...

The extensive use of herbal drugs and their multiple components and modes of action suggests that they may also cause drug interactions by changing the activity of human cytochrome P450 enzymes. The purpose of the present review is to present the available data for the top 14 herbal drug sales in the U. S. Studies describing the effects of herbal drugs on phenotyping substrates for individual C...

BACKGROUND Large proportions of patients use herbal medicinal products, and encouraging data in terms of effectiveness exist for some of these. One aspect, however, which is still largely under-investigated is the question of potential harm. AIM To review the recent evidence on hepatotoxic events associated with the use of herbal medicinal products. METHODS Systematic literature searches we...

The consumption of herbal medicines is increasing rapidly worldwide. Ginseng is one of the most widely used herbal medicines in the world, for its physical, mental and sexual effects. It is one of the best-selling herbs in the United States [1]. The recent report that ginseng may paradoxically decrease the anticoagulant effect of warfarin [1] was the third such report, the first two being publi...

Perceptions of safety and/or cultural mores prompt individuals to seek herbal slimming aids in preference to conventional dietary, physical activity and medication-based protocols. In recent years, terpenoid-containing dietary supplements have been implicated in causing severe and sometimes fatal hepatotoxicity. Teucrium polium (germander) was the first of these herbal products to be clearly li...

Dementia is a leading cause of mental and physical disability. Vascular dementia (VaD) is the second most common cause of dementia after Alzheimer's disease (AD) constituting 10-15% of the dementia population. Currently there are no approved pharmaceutical options for VaD and the conventional anti-AD therapies provide only modest, short-term relief of symptoms associated with VaD. Herbal medici...