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Sunday, December 15, 2013

24. Guide to Herbal Medicine - By Kenneth R. Pelletier


Kenneth R. Pelletier, clinical professor of medicine at Stanford University’s School of Medicine and director of Stanford’s Complementary and Alternative Medicine Program, explains why many herbal medicines hold promise but also why they should be taken with caution. Pelletier details problems in the labeling of herbal medicines, inadequate regulation of the industry, lack of scientific studies on safety and effectiveness, and possible harmful interactions with other medicines.

Guide to Herbal Medicine
By Kenneth R. Pelletier
Kenneth R. Pelletier
Photo Source The Healing Mind

Herbal remedies have been used for thousands of years. Today an estimated one-third of adult Americans—some 60 million people—use herbal medicines each year, spending more than $3.2 billion on them. In the rest of the world, approximately 64 percent of the population relies on herbal medicines. Despite their overwhelming popularity and long history, we know relatively little about the safety and effectiveness of herbal remedies. Scientific study should make these remedies far safer and more effective in the future. Global recognition of nature’s green pharmacy should inspire individuals and nations to protect this extraordinary resource.

As with any medical decision, it’s important to be well informed before you use herbal medicines. Here are some things to consider before choosing an herbal remedy:

What is herbal medicine?
In herbal medicine, the word herb applies to any plant or plant part used for its medicinal, flavoring, or fragrant properties. Leaves, flowers, stems, roots, seeds, fruit, and bark can all be constituents of herbal medicines. Europeans sometimes use the term phytomedicine, from phyto (Greek for “plant”), to describe herbal or botanical medicine.

Before the 20th century
Early in human history, people practiced herbal medicine as a magical or religious healing art. From these origins, systems of herbology developed.

Botanical medicine in the Americas evolved through the blending of two separate traditions. Passengers on the Mayflower carried with them a book on European herbology. In America, the colonists encountered not only new plants but also Native Americans familiar with the properties of these plants. During the 1800s many of the most effective American healers combined European and Native American herbalism. By the 1850s Chinese immigrants had added their own herbal tradition to the mix, especially on the West Coast. Herbology began to lose influence in the United States after the Civil War, partly because conventional medicine improved during the war.

During the 20th century
By the beginning of the 20th century chemists had become more adept at isolating the active ingredients in plants, and the use of raw, whole-plant materials began to seem crude and unscientific. In 1910 the Carnegie Foundation, at the request of the American Medical Association, issued a study of American medicine called the Flexner Report. This report elevated pharmaceutical medicine and was critical of schools that taught herbal medicine and other nonconventional approaches. This influential report contributed greatly to the decline of alternative medicine, including herbology.

The situation today
Modern pharmaceuticals cannot treat every condition effectively, and some drugs have unwanted side effects. In the late 20th century herbal medicine made a comeback as people began to seek alternatives to these drugs. Today more than 1,500 herbal preparations are marketed in the United States, not only in health food stores but also in pharmacies, supermarkets, department stores, and even truck stops.

Another indication of the importance of herbals: About one-quarter of all U.S. prescription drugs are derived from herbs. The pharmaceutical industry uses around 120 different compounds derived from plants in the drugs it manufactures, and it discovered nearly three-quarters of these compounds by studying folk remedies. Examples of drugs from plants include quinine, from the bark of the South American cinchona tree, used to treat some strains of malaria; digitalis, a widely prescribed heart medication, derived from the foxglove plant; salicylic acid, the source of aspirin, from willow bark; and taxol, for treating ovarian cancer, from the yew tree.

Why so many precautions?
Plants can be toxic, but that’s not the only reason consumers should exercise caution when selecting herbal remedies.

Inadequate regulation
The herb industry is essentially unregulated. There is no formal practice of botanical medicine, and the vast majority of medical and pharmacy schools do not teach herbal medicine. This lack of regulation and organized practice leaves consumers essentially on their own in determining how to use herbal products. Some herbs have potentially harmful side effects, so it’s important to understand the full range of their biological activity and to talk to a physician.

Quality control and inaccurate labeling
A test published in the September 2, 1998, issue of the Los Angeles Times examined ten common over-the-counter (OTC) products labeled as St. John's wort. Out of the ten products, seven contained between 75 percent and 135 percent of the amount of hypericin (the probable active ingredient) that the label stated, and three contained no more than half the amount stated. An unpublished study of ginseng reported similar wide variations in the contents. As long as the herb industry remains unregulated, manufacturers have no reason to establish quality controls insuring that each batch of medicine contains the same amount of active ingredient. And without quality control, many herbs and supplements will carry inadequate or inaccurate labeling.

No safety studies
It’s important to emphasize that there have been no long-term studies of the safety or effectiveness of herbal preparations. (In fact, there are too few such studies on conventional pharmaceuticals.)

All herbal dosages and recommendations are based on studies with adults, and the safety and efficacy of these products for children is completely unknown. Adults over age 65 may have diminished liver or kidney function and need to be particularly concerned about excess dosages and the toxic effects of herbal remedies or supplements. A physician should monitor liver function periodically for older adults taking herbals.

Potential interactions
How herbal preparations interact with foods is another unknown. Grapefruit, for example, increases the potency of many conventional medications, such as calcium channel blockers taken for high blood pressure, angina or chest pain, and arrhythmias, and benzodiazepines, commonly prescribed for anxiety and sleeplessness. Grapefruit also increases the potency of Seldane, an allergy medication that was withdrawn from the market after the discovery of its potentially dangerous interaction with certain antibiotics. It would be prudent to avoid eating grapefruit while using herbs for any of these conditions.

How to use herbal medicines safely
To ensure that your are using botanical medicines safely and effectively, observe the following precautions:

* Don’t use herbal preparations to self-treat serious medical conditions or persistent symptoms.
* Don’t give children herbal remedies without medical supervision.
* Don’t take herbal medicines if you are pregnant or a nursing mother.
* Tell your doctor about any herbal remedies you are taking, because herbs can interact with conventional drugs.
* Never take more than the recommended dosage of an herbal preparation. Stop taking the herbal immediately if you notice an adverse reaction, and report any negative reactions to the FDA Med-Watch line at (800) 332-1088.
* Purchase herbal preparations from reliable, trustworthy sources.
* When taking laboratory or drug tests, advise the person administering the test of any herbal preparations you are taking. These herbs can trigger false findings in tests for drug abuse and can invalidate routine lab tests.

Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Source: Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009.

Link 
Site of the Author : http://www.drpelletier.com/

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