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Herbal Drugs: Efficacy, Toxicity, and Safety Issues

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Abstract

Herbal drugs are being in use for the management of human health and for prevention as well as to cure human diseases since ancient civilization. In recent days, the use of herbal drugs has been increased significantly in various forms such as herbal formulations, dietary supplements, and nutraceuticals in the global market. This growing demand undoubtedly proves the therapeutic claims of herbal drugs as biomedicines and/or functional foods. However, the safe use of herbal products/herbal medicines is still challenging due to the toxicity and regulatory issues. This review discusses toxicity-related and safety issues of herbal medicinal products, factors responsible for, and suitable remedial measures. Some challenges associated with monitoring the safety of herbal drugs are also discussed to ensure their effectiveness for adequate protection of public health and the relevant regulatory issues.

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Abbreviations

CAM:

Complementary and alternative medicines

CVS:

Cardiovascular system

DSHEA:

Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994

FDA:

Food and Drug Administration

GC-MS:

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

GMP:

Good manufacturing practices

HMPs:

Herbal medicinal products

LC-MS:

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

TM:

Traditional medicine

WHO:

World Health Organization

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Srikrupa Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Siddipet, Telangana, India

    Mithun Rudrapal

  2. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh, Assam, India

    Dipak Chetia

Authors
  1. Mithun Rudrapal
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  2. Dipak Chetia
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dipak Chetia .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Pharmaceutical Technology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

    Subhash C. Mandal

  2. NEF College of Pharmacy, Guwahati, Assam, India

    Raja Chakraborty

  3. Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Assam down town University, Guwahati, Assam, India

    Saikat Sen

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Rudrapal, M., Chetia, D. (2021). Herbal Drugs: Efficacy, Toxicity, and Safety Issues. In: Mandal, S.C., Chakraborty, R., Sen, S. (eds) Evidence Based Validation of Traditional Medicines. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8127-4_26

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