Herbal medicine is an increasingly common form of alternative therapy through out the world. Consequently, herbal medicines are finding their more and more usefulness in the arena of dentistry and their armamentarium. Earlier they were limited to as an important ingredient of tooth pastes, mouthwashes and as pain reliever, but now a days they are increasingly being used in all possible treatmen...

The herbal decoction process is generally inconvenient and unpleasant. To avoid using herbal medicine decoctions, various high-quality industrial and pharmaceutical herbal decoction products have been used in clinical applications for more than ten years in Taiwan. However, the consistency and standardization of the quality of these herbal medicines are goals that remain to be achieved. The aim...

T hroughout history, plants have been used for medicinal purposes and, during the last three decades, we have witnessed a most remarkable revival of herbal medicine. Germany is the country with the largest per head consumption of herbal medicines. In 2002, the 100 best selling products achieved a total turnover of 420 million Euros. This high level of popularity means, among other things, that ...

BACKGROUND An upsurge of herbal products in various catalogues of fast moving consumer goods is evident. Dental creams or pastes which have numerous brands since years, have addition of many more herbal tooth pastes. Main claim of these herbal tooth pastes being effective reduction in cavities and plaque control. Proven fact is that proper brushing with a tooth brush and tooth paste brings down...

Plants have been used throughout human history for their medicinal properties and herbal medicines are popular worldwide. Since, all herbal medicines are mixtures of more than one active ingredient, such combinations of many substances obviously increase the likelihood of interactions taking place. Although herbal medicines have been used as remedies for number of illnesses, many of them have s...

Herbal therapies have become an integral part of the American health care scene. Since 1991, public use of herbal products has increased quite markedly, with over $5 billion spent annually. This does not include the many (up to 25%) pharmaceutical products used in conventional practice that originally were, and in some cases still are, derived from plants (Table 69.1). The perennial appeal of h...

Herbal drug development includes various steps, starting from a passport data on raw materials, correct identification, pharmacognistic and chemical quality, standardization, safety and randomized clinical trials. Addressing standardization is vital and needs broader consideration. Adulteration in market samples and availability of sub-standard products is one of the greatest drawbacks in promo...

In recent years, heavy metal toxicity related to the use of traditional Chinese and Indian herbal medications has been reported in a number of countries, including Australia. Heavy metals such as lead or mercury may be introduced into herbal medications through contaminated soil or production techniques, or may be deliberately included as a therapeutic ingredient. Particularly when consumed ove...

Herbal and other dietary supplements are popular among patients. Whether and how to establish and manage an herbal formulary remains a challenge for conventional managed-care organizations. Pharmacists and clinicians depend on evidence-based guidelines to help determine which products (whether pharmaceutical or herbal) to make available to patients. Evidence from randomized controlled trials th...

Safety and quality concerns regarding over the counter sexual enhancement products sold in the USA market pose a major health risk to the general public. Nevertheless, the use of herbal medicines continues to expand rapidly across world and many people perceive usage of herbal medication as a safe and reliable way to improve health outcome. The safety of herbal supplements has become a globally...