RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To review safety issues associated with the use of herbal products. DATA SOURCES: Literature accessed through MEDLINE and other Internet search engines. Key search terms included herbs, dietary supplements, and safety. DATA SYNTHESIS: A misconception exists among consumers that herbal remedies are safe because they are natural. In an effort to provide healthcare practitioners with information necessary for a patient discussion, a review of safety concerns with herbal products was conducted. CONCLUSIONS: Several safety concerns exist with herbal products including lack of safety data, absence of quality-control requirements for potency and purity, and lenient labeling standards.
Assuntos
Suplementos Nutricionais/efeitos adversos , Magnoliopsida/efeitos adversos , Publicidade , Suplementos Nutricionais/normas , Rotulagem de Medicamentos , Humanos , Legislação Médica , Magnoliopsida/normas , Estados UnidosRESUMO
Herbs and related products are commonly used by patients who also seek conventional health care. All physicians, regardless of specialty or interest, care for patients who use products that are neither prescribed nor recommended. Some herbs have been extensively studied, but little is known about others. When a patient asks for advice regarding the use of a particular herb, how should a physician respond? Similarly, how does a physician determine if a patient's symptoms are caused by a "remedy"? This review attempts to answer these questions by investigating pertinent definitions, the history of herbs in medicine, epidemiology and prevalence of herbal use, and relevant psychosocial issues.
Assuntos
Magnoliopsida/uso terapêutico , Fitoterapia , Custos de Medicamentos , Humanos , Magnoliopsida/efeitos adversos , Magnoliopsida/economia , Magnoliopsida/normas , Estados UnidosRESUMO
The Japanese mint (Mentha arvensis) oil (JMO) was effective as fumigant against Sitophilus oryzae in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor). The observations on the effect of JMO treatment at a dose of 166.6 microliters/l of space to grains stored for 3 months in desiccators at 28 +/- 5 degrees C showed non significant (P approximately 0.05) effect on grain hardness, grain density and per cent water absorption. The cooking quality evaluated in terms of cooking time required for boiling of grains was also not significantly affected. The JMO treated samples of boiled sorghum scored significantly lower values for sensory quality characteristics viz. taste, aroma and overall acceptability compared to untreated samples. No effect of JMO on seed germination was observed. As sensory quality is lowered by use of JMO, the technique can only be recommended for seed sorghum preservation, not food.
