Medicinal Herbs and Pharmaceutical Drugs :: Health, Medication

A herb-drug interaction is defined as any pharmacological modification caused by a herbal substance(s) to another exogenous-chemical (e.g. a prescription medication) in the diagnostic, therapeutic or other action of a drug in or on the body (Brazier and Levine, 2003). This relates to drug-drug interactions, herb-herb interaction or drug-food interaction. A herb can potentially mimic, magnify or center the effect of co-administered drugs and the consequences of these interactions can be beneficial, undesirable or harmful cause (Fugh and Ernst, 2001). It should be pointed out that both the putative active ingredient(s) and other constituents stupefy in that herbal mixture have the potential to interact with different classes of drugs (Miller, 1998). Many medicinal herbs and pharmaceutic drugs are therapeutically active at one dose and toxic at another. Interaction between herbs and drugs whitethorn increase or decrease the pharmacological or toxicological effects of eit her component. Synergistic and therapeutic effects may complicate the dosing of long-run medication. e.g. herbs traditionally used to decrease glucose concentrations in diabetes could therapeutically precipitate hypoglycaemia if taken in combination with conventional drugs (Fugh, 2000). Plausible cases of herb-drug interactions admit discharge when warfarin is have with ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), garlic (Allium sativum), danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) and decreased bioavailability of digoxin, theophylline, and cyclosporine when they are combined with St. Johns wort (Hypericum perforatum) etc.,(Shu-feng et al., 2007). Healthcare practitioners should caution patients against mixing herbs and pharmaceutical drugs (Fugh, 2000). Cardiovascular diseases particularly myocardial toxicity is one of the leading causes of mortality. venture factors for cardiovascular diseases are many another(prenominal), like hypertension, atherosclerosis, drugs like doxorubic in & catecholamines like isoproterenol, isoprenaline etc (Gupta et al., 2004). Doxorubicin/Adriamycin (Dox) is a powerful, well(p) established and highly efficacious drug in the fight against many kinds of cancers like solid tumors, leukemias, soft tissue sarcoma, breast cancer, small carrel carcinoma of the lung and esophageal carcinomas. But its clinical usefulness is still restricted imputable to its specific toxicities to cardiac tissues (Zhon et al., 2001). Congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy, and electrocardiographic changes were demonstrated after cumulative Dox administration (Lenaz and Page, 1976). The possible mechanisms proposed for myocardial toxic effects of Dox include free radical induced myocardial injury, lipid peroxidation (Myers et al.