Articles
Medicinal Herbs: Advantages and Disadvantages Virtually every house in all communities deal with medicinal herbs, and many people use medicinal herbs mixtures as remedy for every disease, and herbal therapy became in some people a safe haven and appropriate alternative to modern medicine. Ancient civilizations such as ancient Egyptians, Arabs and other civilizations used medicinal herbs in the treatment of many diseases. There are 50 thousand medicinal herbs in the world, only 5 thousand of these used in therapy, but the random and indiscriminate use of these herbs make a lot of people confused about it safeness use. There is a general impression among many people about medicinal herbs which is that these herbs if doesn't help, it doesn't hurt. This saying is not always correct. So many believe that medicinal herbs are considered safe and useful absolutely, and if it cannot be useful, there is no harm in using it. Usually this is exploited in the marketing of herbal products, once a term herbal is used, that will give the impression that the product is safe and no danger of taking it in all cases. In fact it always prefers to consult a doctor or pharmacist when taking these herbs, especially among people with chronic ailments like diabetes or pressure, because some herbs, when used over a long term may lead to increase the effect of the drugs used, for example in the treatment of diabetes, causing high blood sugar drop, or increase the effectiveness of the drugs used in treatment High pressure and cause high blood pressure fall. There are also certain herbs that increase blood dilution which lead some people to think that is useful to protect against blood clots, but on the other hand, the long term use might increase the likelihood of hemorrhage in exposed persons. Many information from scientific sources have shown that some herbs that have been used in the treatment of certain cases led to serious consequences for those who used them, and in some cases led to death. These risks are at their maximum in pregnant women, nursing mothers and children who are the weakest link toward these risks. There are dozens of examples on this subject, we give only. Warfarin drug which is used as blood thinner and is used by many heart patients, has serious interferences with lots of herbs, that is confirmed by many specialists, who register 18 serious cases. Garlic for example is considered to be one of the important therapeutic herbs for anti-cholesterol, bronchitis infections, allergies and pressure reducer, but the excessive use of garlic cause heartburn and increase of gases. It was found that it causes bleeding when taken in great amounts or when used with Warfarin drug. Dr. Jasim H. Hassen / Pharmaceutical Chem. Dept.