Articles: phytotherapy-adverse-effects.
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Kava extracts are obtained from the rhizoma of the kava shrub (Piper methysticum) and contain various pyrones which are used as herbal anxiolytic remedies for generalized anxiety syndromes of low and intermediate grades. The commonly recommended daily dose of 60-120 mg kavapyrones and the duration of the therapy of up to 3 months should not be increased without consultation of a physician and were not followed by most patients, since herbal drugs are considered by the population not only as effective but also as safe. Whereas kava extracts are well tolerated by most patients and rare side effects are rapidly reversible upon drug discontinuation, there are suspected hepatotoxic reactions reported during the last years in temporal and not necessarily causal association with a therapy with kava extracts. ⋯ Preventive measures should therefore include a dose of 120, maximally 210 mg kavapyrones per day for 1 month, maximally 2 months, as well as a prescription by a physician. Laboratory test (ALT and gamma-GT) should be done before and during the therapy, and co-medication and alcohol consumption should be avoided. With these measures the hepatotoxic risks under the treatment with kavapyrones might be minimized which are also available via internet and from abroad with possible severe consequences when taken without medical supervision.
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J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. · Apr 2003
Case ReportsNonpigmenting solitary fixed drug eruption caused by a Chinese traditional herbal medicine, ma huang (Ephedra Hebra), mainly containing pseudoephedrine and ephedrine.
We describe a case of nonpigmenting solitary fixed drug eruption appearing on the right thigh of a 31-year-old woman in Japan. The causative drug was determined by closed patch test on postlesional skin as a Chinese traditional herbal medicine, ma huang (Ephedra Hebra), mainly containing pseudoephedrine and ephedrine.
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Finding health in folklore, herbs and supplements: the good, the bad & the ugly. Part II-- The ugly.
The dark 'bad' side of herbal and supplement use is not only in their direct adverse effects or toxicity, but in their potential for interactions with a variety of agents commonly used by mainstream practitioners. In the next issue, Part III--The Ugly--will focus on the distorted image of these hazardous herbal drifters.
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GRAPEFRUIT: Essentially consumed in the form of juices with its bitterness helping to quench thirst, grapefruit contains not only vitamin C but also many complex antioxidizers, licopene, lemonoids and naringine. It also contains large quantities of pectin. Grapefruit juice is a metabolic inhibitor of medicinal substances that constitute an exclusive target for the CYP 3A4 isozyme and glycoprotein P in the enterocytes. ⋯ The potential occurrence of side effects with its use has led the European Agency for drug assessment and the French Medicines Agency to decree that all magistral preparations containing St. John's wort must be labeled: "Warning, risk of drug interactions". GARLIC: (Allium salivum) Originating from Asia, widespread and cultivated in Europe in kitchen gardens, garlic is used by herbalists for its diuretic, antiseptic, stimulating and sudorific properties.