Articles: phytotherapy-adverse-effects.
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Altern Ther Health Med · Mar 2007
Adverse interactions between herbal and dietary substances and prescription medications: a clinical survey.
Patients often combine prescription medications with herbal and dietary substances (herein referred to as herbal medicines). A variety of potential adverse herb-drug interactions exist based on the pharmacological properties of herbal and prescription medications. ⋯ A substantial number of potential adverse herb-drug interactions were detected and a small number of adverse herb-drug interactions observed, particularly in diabetics taking nopal. Screening for herbal medicine usage in 804 patients did not uncover any serious adverse interactions with prescription medications.
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A 93 year-old hypertensive woman was found to have severe hypokalemia (as low as 1.3 mEq/L) and developed paralysis of the all extremities associated with metabolic alkalosis, hypoxemia, hypercapnea, extremely high levels of creatine phosphokinase (up to 9280 U/L), myoglobin and myoglobinuria compatible with rhabdomyolysis. Plasma renin activity and aldosterone levels were below normal. She was found to have been taking licorice-containing herbal medicines for the last 7 years. With the discontinuation of the licorice-containing medicines and administration of spironolactone together with intravenous and oral potassium supplement, her serum potassium level was normalized and her clinical symptoms and hypertension improved within 2 weeks.
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Herbal products and dietary supplements are complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies that have grown faster than any other CAM treatments. Little information is available about the use of these products in the stage 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) population. Information on the use, safety, efficacy, adverse effects, and recommended dosages in the nondialysis population are summarized in this article.
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Case Reports
[Toxic mustard plaster dematitis and phototoxic dematitis after application of bergamot oil].
Two cases that illustrate the risks attendant on the therapeutic use of natural medications by laypersons are reported. In the first case, the application of a mustard plaster triggered toxic dermatitis. In the second case, a session in a solarium after the external application of bergamot oil resulted in a phototoxic reaction.