Ernst E
Department of Complementary Medicine, Postgraduate Medical School, University of Exeter, United Kingdom.
Am J Med. 1998 Feb;104(2):170-8. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9343(97)00397-5.
Herbal medicines have become a popular form of therapy. They are often perceived as being natural and therefore harmless. This article reviews the recent literature on the adverse effects of herbal remedies. Examples of allergic reactions, toxic reactions, adverse effects related to an herb's desired pharmacological actions, possible mutagenic effects, drug interactions, drug contamination, and mistaken plant identities are provided. Because of underreporting, our present knowledge may well be just the "tip of the iceberg." Little is known about the relative safety of herbal remedies compared to synthetic drug treatments, although for some herbal remedies, the risks may be less than for conventional drugs.
草药已成为一种流行的治疗方式。它们通常被认为是天然的，因此是无害的。本文综述了关于草药不良反应的近期文献。文中提供了过敏反应、毒性反应、与草药预期药理作用相关的不良反应、可能的诱变作用、药物相互作用、药物污染以及植物误认等方面的例子。由于报告不足，我们目前所了解的情况很可能只是“冰山一角”。与合成药物治疗相比，人们对草药的相对安全性知之甚少，不过对于某些草药来说，其风险可能低于传统药物。
