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Allergy & Asthma Advocate: Winter 2003
Risks of herbal medicine According to recent data, approximately three-quarters of the world’s population are or have been using herbal supplements. Most individuals use these herbal to enhance their health, as well as to actively treat medical or health symptoms. A recent study found that of a survey of 1,500 eighth-grade students, about 8% were apparently taking herbal supplements. Several recently published studies described a trend among allergy and asthma sufferers to use herbal supplements to treat their allergic or asthmatic conditions. This is cause for concern, however, as some supplements, such as cayenne and St. Johns Wort may interact with certain medications (e.g. theophylline) used in the treatment of asthma. While prescription drugs in the United States undergo rigorous evaluation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for safety and efficacy prior to marketing approval, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act has exempted manufacturers of herbal supplements from the requirement to prove safety or effectiveness before entering the U.S. marketplace. The FDA can remove from the market any herbal or dietary supplement that it deems unsafe or that makes false claims, however, relatively little is known about the health effects of herbal remedies. Known risks of herbal supplements
The following tips may provide some assistance in the use of medicinal herbal remedies:
Be aware of unsubstantiated and false claims of individual herbal supplements. More research and investigation are clearly needed in the evaluation of the effectiveness of herbal remedies, especially in individuals with allergic sensitivities. You may report a possible adverse effect of an herbal supplement to the FDA at www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call them at 1-800-FDA-1088. Although most of our herbal therapies are not tested for safety or for benefit, many of our current medications are derived from herbs. The National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Center for Complementary and Alternative Therapy has been charged with investigating such therapies. Research has found many more drug interactions and side effects than expected in studies on St. Johns Wort. Research on glucosamine is showing some benefit in retarding the progression of arthritis. A century ago it was discovered that injecting pollen extracts could successfully cure hay fever. Thus, careful scientific evaluation can help us sort out the benefit and harm from traditional therapies. |
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