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Although many consumers believe that herbal medicines are safe because they are natural, herbal medicines and synthetic drugs may interact, causing toxicity to the consumer. Herbal remedies can also be dangerously contaminated, and herbal medicines without established efficacy, may unknowingly be used to replace prescription medicines. [38]
In some cases, political issues, mainstream medicine and alternative medicine all collide, such as in cases where synthetic drugs are legal but the herbal sources of the same active chemical are banned. [4] In other cases, controversy over mainstream medicine causes questions about the nature of a treatment, such as water fluoridation. [5]
The adverse effects of synthetic drugs are hard to determine as they usually contain other chemicals with variable concentrations and human studies are limited. Synthetic cannabinoids can cause cardiovascular problems such as tachyarrhythmia, seizures, psychological disorders and potential carcinogenic effects. Addiction and withdrawal symptoms ...
The UK saw three generations of synthetic cannabinoids within five years where the second and third generations emerged in response to amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1971, Order 2009 [148] and Order 2013, [149] which classified many first and second generation synthetic cannabinoids as Class B drugs. There were two additional amendments ...
The legacy of the herbal extends beyond medicine to botany and horticulture. Herbal medicine is still practiced in many parts of the world but the traditional grand herbal, as described here, ended with the European Renaissance, the rise of modern medicine and the use of synthetic and industrialized drugs.
Also, adulteration of some herbal medicine preparations with conventional drugs which may cause serious adverse effects, such as corticosteroids, phenylbutazone, phenytoin, and glibenclamide, has been reported. [44] [45] However, many adverse reactions are due to misuse or abuse of Chinese medicine. [6]
[98] [99] [100] Moreover, synthetic analogs of natural products with improved potency and safety can be prepared, and therefore, natural products are often used as starting points for drug discovery. [101] Natural product constituents have inspired numerous drug discovery efforts that eventually gained approval as new drugs. [102] [103] [104]
In modern medicine, around a quarter [a] of the drugs prescribed to patients are derived from medicinal plants, and they are rigorously tested. [48] [51] In other systems of medicine, medicinal plants may constitute the majority of what are often informal attempted treatments, not tested scientifically. [52]