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Summary
Summary
HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS
An evenhanded study of pharmacological interactions between Western drugs and herbal supplements
Today, a significant percentage of Americans turn to complementary and alternative medicine practices. Despite their popularity and wide use, these products do not undergo the same pre-market testing for safety and efficacy that is required of pharmaceuticals. In Herbal Supplements: Efficacy, Toxicity, Interactions with Western Drugs, and Effects on Clinical Laboratory Tests , editors Amitava Dasgupta and Catherine Hammett-Stabler present a comprehensive introduction to both safe and unsafe herbal supplements. The book emphasizes the pharmacological interactions identified between Western drugs and herbal supplements, and the effects of herbal supplements on clinical laboratory tests.
Herbal Supplements provides a guide to the interpretation of abnormal test results in otherwise healthy subjects due to use of herbal remedies. Focusing on interactions between herbals and pharmaceuticals, sources of contamination in herbal supplements, and analytical techniques used in the investigation of herbal remedies, the book details:
Pharmacological interactions between Western drugs and herbal supplements Effects of herbal supplements on clinical laboratory tests Key interactions between herbal supplements and various pharmaceutical drugs Medicinal plants and toxic effects Contamination of herbal supplements from metals, pharmaceuticals, and plant poisoning Analytical techniques, including immunoassays, used in the investigation of herbal remediesUnbiased and literature-based, this text offers toxicologists, clinical chemists, analysts, and pharmacologists a no-nonsense take on the efficacy, toxicity, and drug interactions of herbal supplements and medicines.
Author Notes
Amitava Dasgupta is a Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston and the director of clinical chemistry, toxicology, and point of care testing at the Memorial Hermann Hospital, the main teaching hospital of the medical school. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Clinical Chemistry and a prolific author and editor.
Catherine A. Hammett-Stabler is a Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also the Director of the Core Laboratory of the McLendon Clinical Laboratories, UNC Health Care. Dr. Hammett-Stabler has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and books.
Reviews 1
Choice Review
Aimed at Western medical professionals, this volume presents information on therapeutic efficacy and safety of medicinal herbs. Both editors and 13 of the 20 contributors are affiliated with university pathology/laboratory science departments, providing a specialized vantage point. Chapters are arranged in five sections, encompassing a very general overview of complementary/alternative medicine and the dietary supplement industry; effects of medicinal herbs on specific organ systems; interactions with Western pharmaceutical drugs; heavy metal and other contamination issues, especially pertinent to Chinese and Indian Ayurvedic herbs; and implications of the effects herbal remedies sometimes have on laboratory tests. The index serves a key function because a specific topic or supplement may be addressed in several areas but not appear in chapter titles. Identifying valid concerns regarding herb-drug interactions among the often-sizable accumulation of theoretical or single case reports is complicated. This volume seems not to address the issue at all--chapters in the interactions section are limited to well-studied substances and a disease condition (HIV/AIDS). Two texts that do discuss how to identify valid interactions concerns are Herb, Nutrient, and Drug Interactions (2008), by M. B. Stargrove, J. Treasure, and D. L. McKee; and F. Brinker's Herbal Contraindications and Drug Interactions (4th ed., 2010). Summing Up: Recommended. Medical students and clinicians. J. Saxton Bastyr University
Table of Contents
| Preface | p. xi |
| Contributors | p. xiii |
| Part I Introduction and Overview | p. 1 |
| 1 Introduction to Complementary and Alternative Medicine | p. 3 |
| 2 Relatively Safe Herbal Remedies | p. 19 |
| 3 Risk of Toxicity Associated with Unregulated Herbal Products | p. 45 |
| Part II Effects of Herbal Remedies on Specific Organ Systems | p. 73 |
| 4 Herbal Medicines with Immunomodulatory Effects | p. 75 |
| 5 Kelp and Thyroid Function | p. 125 |
| 6 Herbal Remedies and the Patient with Chronic Kidney Disease | p. 135 |
| 7 Abnormal Liver Function Tests Due to Hepatotoxic Herbs | p. 155 |
| 8 Homeopathic Medicine: Principle, Efficacy, and Toxicity | p. 169 |
| 9 Indian Ayurvedic Medicines: An Introduction | p. 193 |
| 10 Tradition and Perspectives of Greco-Arab and Islamic Herbal Medicine | p. 209 |
| 11 Licorice and Laboratory Tests | p. 255 |
| Part III Drug Interactions | p. 273 |
| 12 Drug Interactions with St. John's Wort | p. 275 |
| 13 Drug-Herb Interactions in Patients with HIV/AIDS | p. 291 |
| 14 Interactions between Fruit Juices and Drugs | p. 305 |
| 15 Drug Interactions with Ginkgo Biloba and Ginseng | p. 321 |
| 16 Drug Interactions with Garlic and Ginger Supplements | p. 333 |
| Part IV Contamination | p. 351 |
| 17 Heavy Metal Toxicity and Herbal Remedies | p. 353 |
| 18 Adulteration of Herbal Remedies with Conventional Drugs: Role of the Clinical Laboratory | p. 369 |
| 19 Beyond Herbals: An Introduction to Poisonous Plants | p. 387 |
| Part V Analytical Implications | p. 405 |
| 20 Interferences of Herbal Remedies with Immunoassays for Therapeutic Drugs: Focus on Digoxin | p. 407 |
| 21 Role of the Clinical Laboratory in Detecting Plant Poisoning | p. 425 |
| Index | p. 443 |
