Objectives. To assess students’ perspectives on including education about herbal supplements in the curriculum. Methods. A 17-item questionnaire was distributed during regularly scheduled classes to third-, fourth-, and fifth-year pharmacy students. Results. A majority of the students perceived their knowledge of herbal supplements was inadequate. Almost all (95%) students reported a need to le...

Many patients use herbal supplements to treat chronic cardiovascular conditions and often combine herbal ingredients with cardiovascular medications. However, physicians do not reliably elicit a history of herbal use from their patients and may overlook herbal supplements' adverse effects. Although often considered harmless by patients, herbal supplements may cause adverse cardiovascular effect...

Dallas, Texas Learning Objectives: After studying this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Explain what governmental regulations control the labeling and distribution of herbal supplements. 2. List the more commonly used supplements and their reported benefits. 3. List the possible postoperative complications from consumption of the more commonly used herbal supplements. 4. Explain t...

LEARNING OBJECTIVES After studying this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Explain what governmental regulations control the labeling and distribution of herbal supplements. 2. List the more commonly used supplements and their reported benefits. 3. List the possible postoperative complications from consumption of the more commonly used herbal supplements. 4. Explain the preoperative...

BACKGROUND Products made from botanicals that are used to maintain or improve health are known as herbal supplements, botanicals, or phytomedicines. Many herbs have a long history of use and claimed health benefits. However, many herbal supplements and botanicals have potent pharmacologic activity that can contribute to adverse effects and drug interactions. The use of herbal supplements by can...

Within the last decade there has been a dramatic increase in the sale and use of herbal supplements and food supplements by Western populations and within the UK. This increased usage has coincided with a resurgence of interest in nutritional therapy and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies, such as herbal medicine, naturopathy and homeopathy, in which therapists may provide d...

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...

OBJECTIVE To develop a measure of pharmacists' patient counseling on herbal and dietary supplements. METHODS A systematic process was used for item generation, testing, and validation of a measure of pharmacists counseling on herbal and dietary supplements. Because a pharmacist-patient encounter may or may not identify an indication for taking an herb or dietary supplement, the instrument was...

Herbal supplements are a significant source of drug-drug interactions (DDIs), herb-drug interactions, and hepatotoxicity. Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes metabolize a large number of FDA-approved pharmaceuticals and herbal supplements. This metabolism of pharmaceuticals and supplements can be augmented by concomitant use of either pharmaceuticals or supplements. The xenobiotic receptors consti...

This study explored Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists' (CRNAs') knowledge about 8 common herbal supplements that potentially cause perioperative complications, beliefs regarding herbal supplement-anesthesia interactions, and preoperative assessment practices. A multiple-choice descriptive survey was mailed to a random sample of CRNAs from the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AA...