Bateman J, Chapman R D, Simpson D
Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh.
Scott Med J. 1998 Feb;43(1):7-15. doi: 10.1177/003693309804300104.
Herbal remedies are rapidly gaining popularity throughout the world as a result of dissatisfaction with conventional medicines. It is a widely held belief that herbal preparations are "natural" and are therefore intrinsically harmless. However, their effects can be very powerful and potentially lethal if used incorrectly and their use as a substitute for conventional medicines may be ineffective. Toxic effects have been attributed to several factors including hepatotoxicity of main constituents, contamination of preparations by heavy metals or microorganisms, and adverse reactions due to age, and genetic and concomitant disease characteristics of the user.
由于对传统药物不满意，草药疗法在全球范围内迅速受到欢迎。人们普遍认为草药制剂是“天然的”，因此本质上是无害的。然而，如果使用不当，它们的效果可能非常强大，甚至有潜在的致命危险，而且用它们替代传统药物可能无效。毒性作用归因于几个因素，包括主要成分的肝毒性、制剂被重金属或微生物污染，以及使用者的年龄、遗传和伴随疾病特征引起的不良反应。
