Herbal Medicines Use: Remedies or Risks

Background: There is an increasing use of herbal products and herbal medicines globally with the belief that herbal medicines are always 'safe' and carry no risk because they are from natural sources. However, there are concerns regarding medicinal plants and their ability to produce adverse effects. The World Health Organization (WHO) directive encourages developing countries to supplement their health programmes with traditional herbal preparations provided they are proven to be non-toxic Objectives: Some plants and their constituents have been shown to be potentially toxic. In this paper, we review data looking at the benefits and risks of herbal medicines use. Results: Literature search shows the huge role herbs play in health and wellness as some conventional medicines were originally derived from natural sources. For example, Digitalis, a cardiac glycoside was derived from the foxglove plant (Digitalis purpurea L.); the anticancer drug Vincristine was derived from periwinkle (Cantharnthus rosues Linn. G. Donn); the antidiarrhoeal and narcotic analgesic drugs Codeine, Morphine and paregoric were derived from the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.); the antimalarial drugs Quinine and Artemisinin were, respectively, derived from Cinchona pubescens Vahl and Artemisia annua L.Despite the profound therapeutic benefits possessed by medicinal plants, some of them have been found to be toxic to specific organs, mutagenic or teratogenic. Current study revealed that Azadirachta indica, Morinda lucida, and Enantia chlorantha possessed mutagenic potentials in modified Ames assays, while Alstonia boonei induced testicular and kidney damage. Conclusion: Herbal medicines have significant benefits in health and wellness, but must be cautiously used due to their potentials for toxicity. Overall, the integration of herbal medicine into national healthcare scheme may enhance safe use of herbal remedies via appropriate research, regulation and rational use of herbal medicine.