Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa.
Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Zululand, Kwa-Dlangezwa, South Africa.
Phytother Res. 2020 Jul;34(7):1519-1529. doi: 10.1002/ptr.6623. Epub 2020 Feb 3.
The increased use of herbal supplements as complementary or alternative medicines has become a clinical conundrum due to the potential for herb-drug interactions. This is exacerbated by an increased supply of new herbal supplements in the market claiming various health advantages. These herbal supplements are available as over-the-counter self-medications. Herbal supplements are generally perceived as efficacious without side effects commonly associated with conventional drugs. However, despite regulations, claims related to their therapeutic effects are mostly unsupported by scientific evidence. These products often lack suitable product quality controls, labelled inadequately and with batch to batch variations, potentially compromising the safety of the consumer. Amongst health practitioners, the greatest concern is related to the lack of chemical characterization of the active compounds of the herbal supplements. The interaction between these different active components and their concomitant effects on other conventional drugs is generally not known. This review will focus on herbal supplements with the potential to effect pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of oestrogen-based oral contraceptives. The use of herbal supplements for weight management, depression, and immune boosting benefits were selected as likely herbal supplements to be used concomitantly by women on oral contraceptives.
由于草药-药物相互作用的潜在可能性，草药补充剂作为补充或替代药物的使用增加，已成为临床难题。市场上新的草药补充剂供应增加，声称具有各种健康优势，使这一问题更加严重。这些草药补充剂可作为非处方自我用药。草药补充剂通常被认为是有效的，没有与传统药物相关的常见副作用。然而，尽管有法规，但其治疗效果的相关说法大多没有科学证据支持。这些产品往往缺乏适当的产品质量控制，标签不充分，批次之间存在差异，可能会危及消费者的安全。在医疗保健从业者中，最大的担忧与缺乏草药补充剂中活性化合物的化学特征有关。这些不同活性成分之间的相互作用及其对其他常规药物的共同影响通常是未知的。这篇综述将重点介绍可能影响基于雌激素的口服避孕药的药代动力学和药效学特性的草药补充剂。选择用于体重管理、抑郁和增强免疫力的草药补充剂，是因为这些草药补充剂可能与正在服用口服避孕药的女性同时使用。
