Lesson E3 - Herbal Remedies Flashcards
It should be recognized that the practise of medicine prior to the 1940’s depended on a large number of ___________.
- natural products
Name 2 reasons why there has been an increase in the availability of herbal preparations in the last decade?
- General public wants to use more natural products (believe they are safer)
- Manufacturers who promote these products for financial gains
Herbal medicines are used more widely in _______ than _________
- Europe
- North America
It is estimated that more than ____ of the practising physicians in Europe prescribe plant-derived pharmaceuticals or herbal medicines.
- 40%
True or false? In Europe, the regulations controlling the manufacture and testing of herbal products are more stringent than in Canada.
- True
True or false? In 2004 Canada introduced new regulations that should begin the process of better regulations to ensure the _______ and ______ of these products.
- True
- Efficacy
- Safety
____ of the world’s population is reported to rely on herbal products
2/3
Define Allopathic medicines
- Drugs used by mainstream medicine.
- These drugs have a drug identification number (DIN) from Health Canada and have undergone full testing for safety and efficacy.
Define Herbal medicines (homeopathic)
- Plant products sold as medicine (no DIN); often crude mixtures and evaluation is lacking.
Define Allopathic phytopharmaceuticals
- They have a DIN.
- Full status as a drug and meet all requirements of a drug, i.e. full safety and efficacy evaluation.
Define Phytopharmaceuticals
- Drug obtained from plants, purified, and used at therapeutic doses and with scientific evidence of efficacy and documented toxicity, e.g. digitalis (digoxin), quinine, cocaine, atropine, tubocurarine.
Define Food supplement
- This is a herbal product used at one-quarter of the proposed therapeutic dose
Food supplement are herbal product used at ____ of the proposed dose
- 1/4
Name 5 reasons why people are moving towards herbal products
- The public has expressed concern over the side effects of allopathic medicines.
- The cost of the allopathic medicines, especially newer agents, are high.
- There is a lack of faith in allopathic drugs
- There is often hope that somehow a herbal or natural product will cure a chronic or terminal disease. (Patient will do anything)
- There is a general belief that herbals are not toxic
True or false? Herbal products cannot be toxic?
False
There is a lack of faith in allopathic drugs which lead to what statement?
- “What is natural is best”
True or False? Plants have a value in the preparation of both herbal and allopathic drugs.
- True
Name a few values of plants in pharmaceuticals?
- Used in both herbal and allopathic drugs
- They are a source of direct therapeutic agents, e.g. digoxin or taxol.
- They provide a source of raw material for the manufacture of more complex semisynthetic compounds, e.g. taxol, estrogens.
- The structure of plant substances can be used as a model for new compounds.
True or False? A plant estrogen is used as the starting material in the preparation of ethinyl estradiol, the estrogen in the oral contraceptives.
True
Name 9 problems associated with herbal medicine
- Lack of efficacy data
- Lack of data on safety
- Lack of standardization
- Undeclared ingredients
- Intentional adulteration
- Source is questionable
- Confusing literature
- Toxicities
- Drug interactions with allopathic medicines
When referring to problems of herbal medicines what does intentional adulteration mean?
- The addition of substances other than herbal
True or false? Prescription meds (allopathic) can interact with herbal medecine
- True
- Some serious ones have been reported