Phytotherapeutic preparations

Numberless phytotherapeutic preparations for the treatment of BPH are on the market. However, the active ingredients and the mode of action remain unknown for most of them. Serenoa repens (also known as saw palmetto from the American dwarf palm) has been investigated in a number of scientific experiments and in chnical trials. It has been proposed that it inhibits the 5aR-2. Since Serenoa repens has no effect on serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, the mode of action might certainly differ from the mode of action of finasteride or dutasteride [129]. 

The third category of drugs are phytotherapeutical preparations 80% of the world population use exclusively plants for the treatment of illnesses [11]. Chromatography is relied on to guarantee preparations contain therapeutically effective doses of active drug and maintain constant batch composition. A quantitative determination of active principles is performed when possible, using pure reference standards. In many phytotherapeutic preparations, the active constituents are not known, so marker substances or typical constituents of the extract are used for the quantitative determination [11]. The Applications chapter of this book (Chapter 8) contains numerous references to the use of chromatographic methods in the control of plant extracts. 

Pharmaceuticals of plant origin also form part of rational drug therapy in science-oriented medicine. They are used in the treatment of certain defined diseases and complaints. The more carefully the various pharmacological characteristics of phytogenic remedies are elucidated, the more reliably their clinical effects can be evaluated (e. g. digitalis, rauwolfia, hyo-scyamine, senna). This is also true of the phytotherapeutic preparations used in hepatology. 

SasseviUe D, Nguyen KH. Allergic contact dermatitis from Rhus toxicodendron in a phytotherapeutic preparation. Contact Dermatitis 1995 32(3) 182-3. 

Medicinal plants are an important element of indigenous medical systems in most countries. These resources are usually regarded as part of a culture s traditional knowledge. For many years, Europe has benefitted from exchange with other continents, and many of the pure natural products and some of the phytotherapeutic preparations used today are derived from plants used in... 

A herbal product contains multiple constituents that might be responsible for its therapeutic effects. It is thus necessary to define as many of the constituents as possible in order to understand and explain the bioactivity. The concept of phytoequivalence has been introduced in Germany to ensure consistency of phytotherapeuticals. According to this concept, a chemical profile for a herbal product is constructed and compared with the profile of a clinically proven reference product. Since many of these preparations contain flavonoids, it is essential to have adequate analytical techniques at hand for this class of natural product. 

Phytotherapeutics are defined by law as substances derived from plants, plant parts or plant components in a processed or unprocessed form and used medicinally. As substances, phytogenic preparations are treated in the same way as synthetic chemical compounds or substances of other origin. Phytopharmaceuticals must likewise comply with the usual safety standards, such as quality, harmlessness and efficacy, (s. p. 553)... 

Herbal medicinal products are not explicitly mentioned in the Ph. Eur. but herbal raw materials are included. The reason is that any pharmacist should be able to judge the safety of herbal medicines but not the efficacy of the products. According to EC legislation [14], a herbal medicinal product is any medicinal product, exclusively containing as active ingredients one or more herbal substances or one or more herbal preparations, or one or more such herbal substances in combination with one or more such herbal preparatiOTis. Herbal medicinal products are also referred to in the international literature as herbal medicines, herbal remedies, herbal products, phytomedicines, phytotherapeutic agents or phytopharmaceuticals. The use of herbal medicinal products for the treatment and prevention of disease is called phytotherapy [13]. 

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