The essence of ethnopharmacology is interdisciplinary research that usually involves traditional healers, botanists, chemists and pharmacologists. The role of researchers from pertaining disciplines is well defined in ethnopharmacological investigations. However, the exact role of a physician has not yet been distinctly clear in ethnopharmacological investigations. Historical data shows that di...

Herbal system of medicine has been practiced since historical times and traces its roots to ancient civilizations. Although, we define alternative systems of healing as subjects that are not taught in medical schools, it is worthwhile to mention that before the availability of synthetic drugs, plant-based remedies formed the basis of primary healthcare system. Herbal infusion, decoction and tin...

In this paper, recipes for 41 herbal remedies used for treating 25 illnesses in traditional medicine in Swaziland are reported. Preparation of the herbal remedies involved the use of different parts of 47 species from 32 families, some of which have never been described previously in the flora of Swaziland. Descriptions of the plants used, the preparation of each remedy, dosage, route of admini...

Herbs and herbal products are considered to be safer and people mix it often with the oral hypoglycemic agent in diabetes therapy. But numerous reports say that every combination of herbs and drugs is not safe. Some combinations may be beneficial and some may be harmful also. So before taking any herbal remedies with oral hypoglycemic agent, patient should consult physician. In this paper we ar...

An investigation into the adequacy of safety warnings and first aid instructions on the labels of 122 made in Nigeria herbal remedies was carried out. The results show that 6.6% of the herbal preparations had correct and appropriate information on their labels while another 6.6% carried legible print size. Only 9, 1.6, 3.3, 1.6% showed dosage, composition, expiration date and indication to cons...

Many cultures have developed folk herbal remedies for various symptoms of mental illness. An evidence base now is being developed for some of these “alternative” herbal remedies. There has been an increase in the number and proportion of clinical trials of complementary medicine, which suggests a trend toward an evidence-based approach. This review presents the scientific information reg...

Antiepileptic drugs used to treat epilepsy can cause severe, life threatening side effects. In Iranian traditional medicine, herbal remedies have been used for centuries to treat seizures. In this study, the five most important herbals in Iranian traditional medicine, namely Canon, al-Hawi, al-Abniah 'an Haqaeq al Adwia, Tuhfat al-Mu'minin, and Makhzan ul-Adwia, were searched for the term "sar-...