HERB-DRUG INTERACTIONS: AN OVERVIEW OF MECHANISMS AND CLINICAL ASPECTS
AbstractMillions of people today use herbs either as food or in the form of medicine along with prescription and non prescription medications. Although considered natural and safe, many of these herbs can interact with other medications, causing either potentially dangerous side effects and/or reduced benefits from the medication. Both pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic mechanisms are involved in these interactions and majority of the herb-drug interactions were found to be mediated by metabolic inductions or inhibitions. It should be understood that herbal preparations contain multiple active phytochemicals in varying proportions which can, like any other active pharmacological substance, alter the enzymatic systems, transporters and/or the physiologic processes. The purpose of this review is to discuss evidence based mechanisms and clinical implications of such herb-drug interactions and to increase awareness on herb-drug interactions by reviewing published clinical and preclinical studies. As the incidence and severity of herb-drug interactions is increasing due to a worldwide rise in the use of herbal preparations, more clinical data regarding herb-drug interactions are needed to make decisions regarding patient safety. The increasing understanding of pharmacokinetic herb-drug interactions will make health care professionals and patients pay more attention to the potential interactions.
Article Information
3
3576-86
448
3053
English
IJPSR
Sandhya Mamindla*, Prasad K.V.S.R.G and Bharathi Koganti
Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology, Sri Padmavathi Mahila Viswavidyalayam, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India
sandhyamamindla@gmail.com
04 April, 2016
04 June, 2016
13 June, 2016
10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.7(9).3576-86
01 September 2016