Chapter 13 - Herbs and other Natural Products Flashcards
Spices in cuisine may have…
… lessened the threat from pathogens.
How do shamans use herbs?
Using their special gifts, they are about to use herbs to affect people’s spirit.
Why did people start to loose faith in the medicines they had between the 1300s-1600s?
Their existing medicines failed to deal with epidemics of the plague.
What was the time period between the 15th-17th centuries called?
The great age of herbals.
What types of schools might teach students about herbal medicines?
Naturopathic schools, TCM schools, and herbalist schools.
Examples of herbal medicines that have been banned in some jurisdictions due to reported adverse effects.
Ephedra and Kava.
Who supplies information about the safety and efficacy of herbal medicines to Health Canada?
The applicant (the manufacturer).
What are the two things that herbalists believe combinations of compounds do?
Increase effects and dilute toxicity.
Most medicinally-used plant compounds are ___.
Secondary compounds.
Can herbal medicines be tested via RCTs?
Yes, they are well suited to RCT testing.
How do secondary compounds deter plant-eating animals?
Some don’t taste good and some interfere with some aspect of an animals metabolism.
How many of the ~300,000 described plant species are used medicinally?
~35,000. Over 10%.
How popular is herbal medicine?
It’s one of the most popular CAMs.
How many known medicinal plants are at risk of extinction?
400
What group of people added to European knowledge of herbal medicine?
Arabs
Which alternative medical systems include herbal medicines?
Naturopathy, ayurveda, TCM, and homeopathy.
When might the FDA withdraw and herbal medicine product?
If it’s been shown to be unsafe.
How are herbs administered?
Applied or eaten fresh. Consumed dried. Tisanes, teas, and tinctures. Essential oils applied topically or inhaled.
Four types of herbalism
- Shamanic.
- Energetic.
- Herbs have effects on particular physiological functions, but effects are not linked to particular compounds.
- Plants are sources of bio-active chemicals.
Do active molecules vary from plant to plant?
Yes.
What percent of the world’s population uses herbal medicine?
80%
What are secondary compounds?
They are not produced as part of the plants normal metabolic pathways. They are produced by specialized, secondary pathways.
Why would plants invest raw materials and energy to make secondary compounds?
They are thought to have evolved because they deter plant-eating animals.
What are common problems with many trials on herbal medicines?
High degree of publication bias and safety not assessed.
Which forms of alternative medicine include an energetic philosophy of herbalism?
TCM and Ayurvedic.
When are herbal medicines more like pharmaceuticals?
When practitioners and manufacturers try to standardize the amount of one active ingredient.
Examples of sick animals that seek out plants for self-medication.
Chimpanzees, sheep, and cats.
What is it called when combinations of compounds increase the effects of herbal medicines?
Synergy
What are ecological considerations surrounding herbal medicines?
Habitat destruction is resulting in the loss of medicinal species. But also, harvesting plants for herbal medicines can put pressure on wild populations.
In order to get a NPN, what criteria must an herbal medicine meet?
It must be found to be safe, effective, and of high quality under its recommended conditions of use.
What causes the amount of active molecules to vary from plant to plant?
The environment, the season and the plant’s history.
Plants with medicinal properties tend to taste…
Bitter
Where are most plant species found?
In developing countries.
Are there accredited schools of Herbal Medicine in Canada or the US?
No.
After the 1600s, what types of minerals were used as medicines?
Mercury, sulfur, and arsenic.
Why are so many medicinal compounds found in plants?
Plants use chemicals as their defensive system. Sometimes they can also be used to treat diseases within the plants.
What is the pharmaceutical approach to herbalism?
Isolate individual compounds with measurable effects and identify optimal dosages. Individual compounds may be chemically modified to increase activity.
What are some safety issues with herbal medicines?
Interactions with drugs. Patients don’t always report using herbal medicines to their doctors. Plants can be misidentified.
What were manuals of botanical medicine called in Europe in the 1600s?
Herbals
What group of animals is the largest group of plant eaters on the planet?
Insects.
DIN-HM
Homeopathic medicines drug ID number.
Which alternative medical systems include herbal medicines?
Naturopathy, Ayurveda, TCM, and homeopathy.
How does the government treat herbal medicines in the US?
The same as dietary supplements. Manufacturers are not required to prove efficacy or safety.
What percent of modern drugs are derived from plants?
More than 25%
NPN
Natural Products Number
At high doses, most herbal medicines are ___.
Toxic.
