Herbal and Dietary Supplements Flashcards
Definition of herbal supplements
Supplements sold to and consumed by the general population that include plants, plant components,
plant extracts and drinks, tablets, and capsules manufactured from plant sources
What are dietary supplements?
- Intended to supplement dietary intake
- contains one or more of the following: vitamin, mineral, herb botanical or amino acid
Roughly ____% of the general population use an herbal or dietary supplement of some sort
20-50
What is a mistake providers can make regarding supplements?
Many providers forget to ask if a patient is
taking a supplement or herbal medication
T/F Herbal supplements can react with
medications that you will be prescribing
T
1962
Botanicals are not considered drugs
1973
Standard identification of vitamins and minerals only. If the dosing exceeds 150% of recommended daily dosing it is then considered a drug
1977
Prohibiting the FDA from regulating vitamins and minerals as prescription drugs.
1990
Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) - Nutrition facts must be on box, declaring all ingredients
1994
Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DHSEA) - Senator Orrin Hatch (Utah) & Tom Harkin (Iowa)
- Dietary supplements are food (not medicine - therefore do not need to register with the FDA)
Criticism for the DHSEA of 1994
- Does not require that the supplement demonstrate safety prior to marketing or implementation on the market
- Herbs and supplements do not have to demonstrate efficacy prior to being put on the market
1998
1998 - The Natural Product Association (NPA) good manufacturing practice (GMP) certification program (TruLabel) is formed
- Tests and maintains a minimum standard
2007
- Required manufacturers to evaluate identity, purity, strength and composition.
- Required to submit ALL side effects of the FDA
T/F Research to prove that a supplement is safe
is not required prior to a dietary supplement
being put on the market (unlike drugs)
T
Manufacturers may make three types of claims for their herbal or dietary supplements
1) health claims
2) structure/function claims
3) nutrient content claims.
If the manufacturer does make a claim, it must be followed by the statement:
“This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”
Factors for variability in dietary supplements (3)
- Constituents
- Contamination
- Standardization
Constituents
The parts of the dietary supplement
■ Remember dietary supplements can be a mixture
■ Some ingredients may conflict with others
■ Some ingredients may be synergistic with others
■ Even the way supplements are stored over time
can affect them
Contamination
Supplements can contain contaminants from the
environment, whether known or not known.
■ Heavy metals: lead, mercury
■ Processing and packaging
■ Mixing of other active ingredients
Standardization
Sometimes the active ingredient is unknown.
○ Variable consistency of known active ingredients.
■ Example - Ginseng products contained 10-300% of what was labeled
■ Example - Echinacea showed ≤ 50% of what was labeled.
○ FDA encouraging labeling standards.
In 1998, the NIH established _____ (the National
Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine)
NCCIM
Due to its many nutrients, which can satisfy almost all needs of the human body, acai is currently
referred to as _____
super food
Acai mechanism of action & suggested use
Antioxidant properties and strong nutritional value
○ Evidence: No well-done scientific studies with significant evidence
○ Often used for anti-inflammatory reasons, fever, pain, flu, etc.
Black cohosh mechanism of action and suggested use
● Proposed Mechanism of Action:
○ Remains unclear; No apparent dietary impact
● Suggested Uses:
○ Breast cancer, infertility, postmenopausal hot flashes (most
popular use), menstrual-related migraines, osteoarthritis,
rheumatoid arthritis
○ Evidence is generally weak. Only short-term use advised
Contraindication: allergy or hypersensitivity interactions, lots of potential drug interactions
Known side effects and adverse reactions of black cohosh
Abdominal pain, bleeding, bradycardia, bruising, constipation, diaphoresis, dizziness, headaches, “heaviness in legs,” increased risk of stroke and hormone-sensitive cancers, hepatotoxicity,
Black cohosh: concerns for drug interactions
Because it is a known CYP450 enzyme player, there are lots of drug interactions possible, most notably with antiseizure medications, analgesics, anesthetics, and anticoagulants.
Uses and indications for calcium
Antacid, bone stress injury prevention, calcium deficiency, cancer, colorectal cancer, growth (low birth weight infants), hyperkalemia, hyperparathyroidism, HTN, lead toxicity (acute
symptom management), magnesium toxicity, rickets, osteoporosis, PMS, preeclampsia
Contraindications for calcium
Ventricular arrhythmias, hypercalcemia, hypophosphatemia, renal stones, sarcoidosis
Vitamin D
● Ergocalciferol (D2), Cholecalciferol (D3).
● Protective of bone health/growth and required to absorb calcium.
○ Often provided together with Calcium in supplement form
Evidence based uses for Vitamin D
Osteoporosis, osteomalacia, hyperparathyroidism, diabetes, depression, psoriasis (topical preparation), acute infection
Known Side Effects and Adverse Reactions of Vitamin D
None unless reach toxic levels. Toxicity occurs at levels > 150 ng/mL - hypercalcemia, nephrocalcinosis, early aging, fatigue, nausea
Echinacea and mechanism of action
- Native American medicinal plant; part of Daisy family
● Proposed Mechanism of Action:
○ No consensus on primary active ingredient or
mechanism of action.
○ Seems to somehow boost immune function, reduce pain and inflammation
Suggested use and contraindications for Echinacea
Suggested Uses:
○ Shorten duration of URI (common cold) and UTI infections, wound healing, yeast infections, immune system support.
○ Evidence: NCCIH-funded studies showed no benefit; Other studies suggest reduction in duration of symptoms
● Contraindications:
○ Not to be used along with Amoxicillin.
○ Contraindicated in ragweed, daisy, or marigold hypersensitivity
Ephedra synthetic version is called
pseudoephedrine
The alkaloid ____ was banned in US in 2004
ephedrine (component from the stem of ephedra)