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Article: Safety Issues in Herbal Medicine: Adulteration, Adverse Reactions and Organ Toxicities.
- Article from:
- Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients
- Article date:
- October 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 The Townsend Letter Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Adverse Reactions
The potential for an herbal product to cause adverse reactions can be assessed either from the perspective of the phytochemical content of the plant or from published case reports.
A Phytochemical Perspective
Common examples of where the known phytochemicals in an herb can impact on its adverse reaction profile are as follows:
* Tannin-containing herbs, e.g. cranesbill (Geranium maculatum) and oak bark (Quercus robur can inhibit trace element and B vitamin absorption. They should therefore not be used in high doses for long periods. [1]
* Saponins are gastric irritants. Hence, doses of herbs which contain ...