Anticancer activity of many herbs was observed for hundreds of years. They act as modifiers of biologic response, and their effectiveness may be increased by combining multiple herbal extracts . PERVIVO, traditional digestive herbal remedy, contains some of them, and we previously described its antiangiogenic activity. Numerous studies documented anticancer effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflamma...

The pregnane X receptor (PXR, NR1I2) is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily that is activated by a myriad of clinically used compounds and natural products. Activation of PXR in liver regulates the expression genes encoding proteins that are intimately involved in the hepatic uptake, metabolism, and elimination of toxic compounds from our bodies. PXR-mediated herb-drug interactions can...

It is estimated that the U.S. population spends between $4 billion and $5 billion annually on herbal medicines. (1,2) Between 1990 and 1997, the use of herbal remedies in the U. S. population increased from 2.5% in 1990 to 12.1% in 1997. (1) In 1998, it was estimated that 15 million adults concurrently take herbal remedies and vitamins along with prescription medications. (1) In addition, patie...

Epilepsy is the second most common neurologic disorder after stroke. Approximately 1% of the world’s population has epilepsy, is a condition where the patient suffers from recurrent seizures. Control to seizures numerous conventional drugs came into existence. Most of the epileptic patients need polytherapy of conventional anticonvulsants and still not 100% cured. The major drawback due to thes...

Herbal medications are being progressively utilized all over the world. Nevertheless, herbal remedies are not without hazards and several cases of adverse reactions have been described. Tribulus terrestris is traditionally used because of its aphrodisiac and antiurolithiatic activities with almost complete inhibition of stone formation. We report a case of T. terrestris-induced hepatotoxicity, ...

1.1 Japanese herbal (Kampo) medicine in Japan Japanese Herbal (Kampo) Medicine, which is covered by national health insurance in Japan, is often prescribed in the primary care field, and is also applied as an alternative remedy for several gynecological diseases such as menstrual disorders, and menopausal symptoms. Since ancient times, a wide variety of Kampo formulae have been used traditional...