Herb-drug interaction: need of the hour
- Vol.53(7), July
- Mumbai Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Science 2021
- 20-24p.
The usage of herbal remedies has become very common and the interest of researchers has tremendously increased in herbal research. Herbs are believed to be free from side effects compared to synthetic drugs, thus their usage is increasing day by day. The concomitant use of herbal remedies along with synthetic prescription drugs is commonly observed especially in chronic disease conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, obesity, etc. However, herbs are known to interact with drugs when administered concomitantly. Several studies have been reported for such herb-drug interactions that include both pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics interactions. One of the basics for such herb-drug interaction studies is CYP450 enzymes. The common metabolic enzymes are considered as one important factor while designing such studies. However, various methodologies have been reported for herb-drug interaction studies. Despite the advanced methodologies and analytical techniques, there are a lot of challenges in carrying out herb-drug interaction studies including variations in CYP enzymes in laboratory animals and humans, lack of bioanalytical methods, complex biological events, etc. However, systematic and focused studies should be designed to explore potential herb-drug interactions. Undoubtedly, this area of research is not much explored and needs to be focused on.