Pharmacokinetic Interactions between Herbal Medicines and Drugs: Their Mechanisms and Clinical Relevance.

ABSTRACT: The therapeutic efficacy of a drug or its unexpected unwanted side effects may depend on the concurrent use of a medicinal plant. In particular, constituents in the medicinal plant extracts may influence drug bioavailability, metabolism and half-life, leading to drug toxicity or failure to obtain a therapeutic response. This narrative review focuses on clinical studies improving knowledge on the ability of selected herbal medicines to influence the pharmacokinetics of co-administered drugs. Moreover, in vitro studies are useful to anticipate potential herbal medicine-drug interactions. In particular, they help to elucidate the cellular target (metabolic or transporter protein) and the mechanism (induction or inhibition) by which a single constituent of the herbal medicine acts. The authors

SUBMITTER: Rombola L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7400069 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature