Herbal preparations

By the thirteenth century AD, essential oils were being produced along with medicinal and herbal preparations in pharmacies. Around this time improvements in distillation techniques were made, in particular the development of the alembic apparatus, which would eventually estabUsh the quaUty of such matenals. As a result, many of the essential oils in use today are denved from those produced in the sixteenth and seventeenth centunes in terms of odor character, even though production methods have continued to evolve. The current practice of aroma therapy is an indication of this common root of medicinal and fragrance chemistry. 

Maine purpose of our work was too developing methods for standardization of these products. Among methods traditionally used in analysis of plant material and herbal preparations HPTLC has shown to be fast, convenient and not to expensive. Because the goal of analysis is not to prove presence of certain compound, but to check if the product was made of proper raw material accomplishing technological conditions the best standard, in most cases, was properly prepared raw material sample. 

First of all, in the general part, the supply of herbal drugs and herbal mixtures, the indications and possible treatments, are dealt with, as well as explaining herbal preparations, how to make the lea, storage, and authentication. Short sections are devoted to the Standard Licences and the contamination of drugs (microbiological, heavy metal, fumigation, radioactive substances). 

There is a decreased effectiveness of fluoxetine in patients who smoke cigarettes during administration of die drug. Fluoxetine is not administered witii lithium because this combination can increase lithium levels. The SSRIs are not administered witii herbal preparations containing St. Jbhn s wort because tiiere is an increased risk for severe reactions. 

Although there is a common belief that natural herbs do no harm, emergent cases reported that renal failure was associated with chronic use of certain herbal preparations. Another important issue is the interaction between herbs and Western medication. There is a tendency, from that assumption, to neglect the possible side effects induced by the combination of both medications. Drug-drug interactions are listed in the following examples. 

Dietary supplements are available in a variety of delivery forms such as capsules, tablets, teas, tinctures, extracts, and bulk herbs. Sixty-eight percent of the herbal products available are in the form of a capsule or tablet. Approximately half of the herbal preparations contain a single herb [3]. An example of a softgel is Saw Palmetto Complex by PhytoPharmica. 

Herbal preparations may be prepared by freezedrying or air-drying. Fresh, freeze-dried leaves of nettle were shown to be effective for symptomatic relief in allergic rhinitis. The active components in nettle, histamine and acetylcholine, became ineffective when the... 

Brinker F. Variations in effective botanical products the case for diversity of forms for herbal preparations as supported by scientific studies. HerbalGram 46 36-50, 1999. 

Smith GW, Chalmers TM, Nuki G. (1993). Vasculitis associated with herbal preparation containing Passiflora extract [letter]. Br J Rheumatol. 32(1) 87-88. 

Many preparations of feverfew are available to the general public from health food shops and similar outlets in the U.K. They take the form of herbal or homeopathic preparations. The herbal preparations may contain just dried leaf in tablet or capsule form or indeed the dried whole plant. There are many different dosages on the market ranging from 25 to 390 mg per tablet or capsule. When the platelet antisecretory activity that could be extracted from some of these preparations was compared with that extracted from known amounts of feverfew, the apparent feverfew content of most preparations was found to be lower that that stated on the preparation [70]. In the case of the homeopathic preparation, no antisecretory activity was detected. 

While poisonous plants on grazing lands have a significant impact on livestock production throughout the world, the natural toxins (secondary metabolites) in the plant may have multiple and diverse functions, not only for the plant world but also for the benefit of mankind. Many current pharmaceuticals have been chemically optimized from natural toxins of plant origin. New plant compounds and familiar compounds with renewed interest, e.g., nutraceuticals, herbal preparations, nutritional supplements, etc, are increasingly finding their value in human nutrition and health. 

Herbal preparations are defined as preparations obtained by subjecting herbal substances to treatments such as extraction, distillation, expression, fractionation, purification, concentration or fermentation. These include comminuted or powdered herbal substances, tinctures, extracts, essential oils, expressed juices and processed exudates. 

Complementary and alternative medicine CAM. Forms of treatment that are used in addition to (complementary) or instead of (alternative) standard treatments. These practices are not considered standard medical approaches. CAM includes dietary supplements, megadose vitamins, herbal preparations, special teas, massage therapy, magnet therapy, spiritual healing, and meditation. [NIH]... 

Many patients (67% in one recent survey) in Australia take herbal remedies. Most do not declare these if they are admitted to hospital. The recent story of one herbal preparation reinforces the need to look carefully at possible interactions between preparations from the pharmaceutical and herbal industries. 

St John s Wort (Hypericum perforatum, S JW) has been on the herbal pharmacopeia for many years. It is a traditional remedy for depression which has been validated in recent randomized clinical trials. Like many herbal preparations levels of active constituents vary from one preparation to another. As a consequence of its validation as an active preparation it has been widely promoted. Recently it has been shown to interact with a variety of other substances probably through the process of drug interaction. 

Some herbal preparations, particularly some unbranded Asian imports, have been found to contain inactive fillers or adulterants. In one assessmenf, 24% of imporfed herbs were found fo confain ingredienfs nof on fhe label. These included specific medicafions (aspirin, caffeine, diurefics, and even benzodiazepines), nof fo menfion heavy mefals, such as lead. Some Asian for-mulafions may also confain animal componenfs. Therefore, if is advisable fo buy only producfs fhaf lisf fhe following informafion bofanical name or names,... 

O. Odebiyi. Pharmacological studies on a Nigerian herbal preparation ... 

Ginseng Much ado about nothing Consumer Reports, Nov. 1995 699. Obach RS. Inhibition of human cytochrome P450 enzymes by constituents of St. John s wort s, an herbal preparation used in the treatment of depression. J Pharmacol Expl Ther 2000 294 88-95. 

The effectiveness of progestin-only pills is reduced by hepatic enz5me-inducing drugs such as the anticonvulsants, phenytoin, carbamazepine barbiturates the antituberculosis drug rifampin protease inhibitors and herbal preparations containing St. John s wort (H. perforatum)... 

This book is an authoritative and comprehensive reference guide to a very large number of significant Chinese medicinal herbs. A gold mine of information is available on their chemical constituents and therapeutic applications. This will be extremely useful to a wide range of health-care professionals who deal in one way or another with medicinal plants. The current heated debate regarding the comparative values of traditional herbal preparations and physician-prescribed pharmaceuticals should in no way detract from the value of this book, since Chinese medicinal herbs are not simply useful in herbal form, but also have immense potential for contributing to the development of new pharmaceuticals. 

Research in Chinese medicinal herbs has been conducted for decades in China, Japan, and Korea and recently in the West. Unfortunately, language barriers and the unreliability of sources and herbal material have hampered progress. A basic scientific understanding of the Chinese herbal preparations is the first step toward building consumer confidence in herbal medications. Proper procedures to eliminate adulteration, contamination, and toxic side effects are also urgently needed to regulate the use of Chinese herbs. 

As herbal remedies grow in popularity, it becomes increasingly important to understand potential interactions between herbs and prescription drugs. Many herbs have powerful effects which may be increased or counteracted by pharmaceutical drugs and vice versa.399 This is equally important to Chinese herbs. However, a major handicap is the lack of sufficient knowledge of chemical components involved in Chinese herbal preparations. 

---