Herbal Medicine. Toxicity and Recent Trends in Assessing Their Potential Toxic Effects

Abstract

Herbal medicine has been used for thousands of years. It is estimated that 80% of world population rely on traditional herbal medicine for primary health care. In recent years, herbal remedies have been considered as dietary supplement for disease prevention and as alternative/complementary medicine. A wide variety of herbal medicines are readily available in the market all over the world. With the rising utilisation of herbal products, safety and efficacy of herbal medicine have become a public health concern. Adverse health effects associated with herbal products could be attributed to both inherent toxic effects of herbal medicine and toxicities induced by adulterants/contaminants. Increasing evidence, regarding side effects of herbal medicine, has highlighted the demand and necessity of toxicological studies for herbal products. Toxicology constitutes an essential role in the development of herbal medicines. With the advancements of analytical techniques and molecular technology, coupling with the conventional test systems, the '-omic-' technology makes a significant contribution to the predictive and preclinical toxicology of herbal medicine. In this chapter, side effects related to herbal medicine and its adulterants/contaminants are summarised. The recent application of '-omic-' technology for toxicological evaluation of herbal products is also illustrated. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.