The Pharmacological Action of Common Herbal Remedies

Rashid Bhikha; John Glynn

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajim.20180605.13

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The Pharmacological Action of Common Herbal Remedies

Rashid Bhikha, John Glynn

Published in American Journal of Internal Medicine (Volume 6, Issue 5)

Received: 2 July 2018 Accepted: 27 July 2018 Published: 24 August 2018

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Abstract

Acceptance of the clinical efficacy and tolerance of herbal remedies by practitioners of conventional, Western medicine is strongly dependent on unambiguous and reproducible evidence, particularly their pharmacological action. A single conventional drug generally has one dominant pharmacological mode of action which accounts for its therapeutic efficacy, whereas a herbal remedy because of the various active agents it contains, generally influences several biochemical and/or physiological systems present in the body. Identifying this therefore poses several challenges. They are much more complex, and the active components of a herbal remedy may act synergistically or interact in other ways. Although the need to determine modes of action has not been a primary concern of complementary healthcare practitioners, there is increasing pressure to elaborate objectively on their pharmacological action. In response, there has been an encouraging, and escalating, release of scientific data documenting the mode of action of many herbal remedies. Some we know about in considerable detail; of others we have an inkling; but for the vast majority the’ modes of action remain to be elucidated. This brief review, based on a survey of the available scientific and clinical literature, examines the modes of action of several therapeutic herbs which are being increasingly used, whether informally or as part of complementary or integrative medical practice. It examines a major category of sub stances, the adaptogens, and the various chemical forms it embraces, such as the saponins and triterpenes. The herbs with modulate the immune system, for instance garlic, turmeric and St John’s Wort, are likewise surveyed, as are the alkaloids and botanical anti-inflammatory agents. Herbs which exert pharmacological action via their nitric oxide regulatory properties are listed, as are those which provide essential micro-nutrients, such as vitamins and certain minerals. The review concludes with comment on the importance of understanding herbal remedy modes of action as a positive step to their wider adoption in the modern-day therapeutic armamentarium.

Published in	American Journal of Internal Medicine (Volume 6, Issue 5)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajim.20180605.13
Page(s)	99-107
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2018. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Herbs, Pharmacology, Adaptogens, Alkaloids, Immune Modulators, Anti-inflammatories, NO Synthesis Inhibitors, Micronutrients

References

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APA Style

Rashid Bhikha, John Glynn. (2018). The Pharmacological Action of Common Herbal Remedies. American Journal of Internal Medicine, 6(5), 99-107. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajim.20180605.13

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Rashid Bhikha; John Glynn. The Pharmacological Action of Common Herbal Remedies. Am. J. Intern. Med. 2018, 6(5), 99-107. doi: 10.11648/j.ajim.20180605.13

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Rashid Bhikha, John Glynn. The Pharmacological Action of Common Herbal Remedies. Am J Intern Med. 2018;6(5):99-107. doi: 10.11648/j.ajim.20180605.13

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@article{10.11648/j.ajim.20180605.13,
  author = {Rashid Bhikha and John Glynn},
  title = {The Pharmacological Action of Common Herbal Remedies},
  journal = {American Journal of Internal Medicine},
  volume = {6},
  number = {5},
  pages = {99-107},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajim.20180605.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajim.20180605.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajim.20180605.13},
  abstract = {Acceptance of the clinical efficacy and tolerance of herbal remedies by practitioners of conventional, Western medicine is strongly dependent on unambiguous and reproducible evidence, particularly their pharmacological action. A single conventional drug generally has one dominant pharmacological mode of action which accounts for its therapeutic efficacy, whereas a herbal remedy because of the various active agents it contains, generally influences several biochemical and/or physiological systems present in the body. Identifying this therefore poses several challenges. They are much more complex, and the active components of a herbal remedy may act synergistically or interact in other ways. Although the need to determine modes of action has not been a primary concern of complementary healthcare practitioners, there is increasing pressure to elaborate objectively on their pharmacological action. In response, there has been an encouraging, and escalating, release of scientific data documenting the mode of action of many herbal remedies. Some we know about in considerable detail; of others we have an inkling; but for the vast majority the’ modes of action remain to be elucidated. This brief review, based on a survey of the available scientific and clinical literature, examines the modes of action of several therapeutic herbs which are being increasingly used, whether informally or as part of complementary or integrative medical practice. It examines a major category of sub stances, the adaptogens, and the various chemical forms it embraces, such as the saponins and triterpenes. The herbs with modulate the immune system, for instance garlic, turmeric and St John’s Wort, are likewise surveyed, as are the alkaloids and botanical anti-inflammatory agents. Herbs which exert pharmacological action via their nitric oxide regulatory properties are listed, as are those which provide essential micro-nutrients, such as vitamins and certain minerals. The review concludes with comment on the importance of understanding herbal remedy modes of action as a positive step to their wider adoption in the modern-day therapeutic armamentarium.},
 year = {2018}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Pharmacological Action of Common Herbal Remedies
AU  - Rashid Bhikha
AU  - John Glynn
Y1  - 2018/08/24
PY  - 2018
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajim.20180605.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajim.20180605.13
T2  - American Journal of Internal Medicine
JF  - American Journal of Internal Medicine
JO  - American Journal of Internal Medicine
SP  - 99
EP  - 107
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-4324
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajim.20180605.13
AB  - Acceptance of the clinical efficacy and tolerance of herbal remedies by practitioners of conventional, Western medicine is strongly dependent on unambiguous and reproducible evidence, particularly their pharmacological action. A single conventional drug generally has one dominant pharmacological mode of action which accounts for its therapeutic efficacy, whereas a herbal remedy because of the various active agents it contains, generally influences several biochemical and/or physiological systems present in the body. Identifying this therefore poses several challenges. They are much more complex, and the active components of a herbal remedy may act synergistically or interact in other ways. Although the need to determine modes of action has not been a primary concern of complementary healthcare practitioners, there is increasing pressure to elaborate objectively on their pharmacological action. In response, there has been an encouraging, and escalating, release of scientific data documenting the mode of action of many herbal remedies. Some we know about in considerable detail; of others we have an inkling; but for the vast majority the’ modes of action remain to be elucidated. This brief review, based on a survey of the available scientific and clinical literature, examines the modes of action of several therapeutic herbs which are being increasingly used, whether informally or as part of complementary or integrative medical practice. It examines a major category of sub stances, the adaptogens, and the various chemical forms it embraces, such as the saponins and triterpenes. The herbs with modulate the immune system, for instance garlic, turmeric and St John’s Wort, are likewise surveyed, as are the alkaloids and botanical anti-inflammatory agents. Herbs which exert pharmacological action via their nitric oxide regulatory properties are listed, as are those which provide essential micro-nutrients, such as vitamins and certain minerals. The review concludes with comment on the importance of understanding herbal remedy modes of action as a positive step to their wider adoption in the modern-day therapeutic armamentarium.
VL  - 6
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Author Information

Rashid Bhikha

Department of Research, The Ibn Sina Institute of Tibb, Johannesburg, South Africa
John Glynn

Department of Research, The Ibn Sina Institute of Tibb, Johannesburg, South Africa

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APA Style

Rashid Bhikha, John Glynn. (2018). The Pharmacological Action of Common Herbal Remedies. American Journal of Internal Medicine, 6(5), 99-107. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajim.20180605.13

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ACS Style

Rashid Bhikha; John Glynn. The Pharmacological Action of Common Herbal Remedies. Am. J. Intern. Med. 2018, 6(5), 99-107. doi: 10.11648/j.ajim.20180605.13

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AMA Style

Rashid Bhikha, John Glynn. The Pharmacological Action of Common Herbal Remedies. Am J Intern Med. 2018;6(5):99-107. doi: 10.11648/j.ajim.20180605.13

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@article{10.11648/j.ajim.20180605.13,
  author = {Rashid Bhikha and John Glynn},
  title = {The Pharmacological Action of Common Herbal Remedies},
  journal = {American Journal of Internal Medicine},
  volume = {6},
  number = {5},
  pages = {99-107},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajim.20180605.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajim.20180605.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajim.20180605.13},
  abstract = {Acceptance of the clinical efficacy and tolerance of herbal remedies by practitioners of conventional, Western medicine is strongly dependent on unambiguous and reproducible evidence, particularly their pharmacological action. A single conventional drug generally has one dominant pharmacological mode of action which accounts for its therapeutic efficacy, whereas a herbal remedy because of the various active agents it contains, generally influences several biochemical and/or physiological systems present in the body. Identifying this therefore poses several challenges. They are much more complex, and the active components of a herbal remedy may act synergistically or interact in other ways. Although the need to determine modes of action has not been a primary concern of complementary healthcare practitioners, there is increasing pressure to elaborate objectively on their pharmacological action. In response, there has been an encouraging, and escalating, release of scientific data documenting the mode of action of many herbal remedies. Some we know about in considerable detail; of others we have an inkling; but for the vast majority the’ modes of action remain to be elucidated. This brief review, based on a survey of the available scientific and clinical literature, examines the modes of action of several therapeutic herbs which are being increasingly used, whether informally or as part of complementary or integrative medical practice. It examines a major category of sub stances, the adaptogens, and the various chemical forms it embraces, such as the saponins and triterpenes. The herbs with modulate the immune system, for instance garlic, turmeric and St John’s Wort, are likewise surveyed, as are the alkaloids and botanical anti-inflammatory agents. Herbs which exert pharmacological action via their nitric oxide regulatory properties are listed, as are those which provide essential micro-nutrients, such as vitamins and certain minerals. The review concludes with comment on the importance of understanding herbal remedy modes of action as a positive step to their wider adoption in the modern-day therapeutic armamentarium.},
 year = {2018}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Pharmacological Action of Common Herbal Remedies
AU  - Rashid Bhikha
AU  - John Glynn
Y1  - 2018/08/24
PY  - 2018
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajim.20180605.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajim.20180605.13
T2  - American Journal of Internal Medicine
JF  - American Journal of Internal Medicine
JO  - American Journal of Internal Medicine
SP  - 99
EP  - 107
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-4324
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajim.20180605.13
AB  - Acceptance of the clinical efficacy and tolerance of herbal remedies by practitioners of conventional, Western medicine is strongly dependent on unambiguous and reproducible evidence, particularly their pharmacological action. A single conventional drug generally has one dominant pharmacological mode of action which accounts for its therapeutic efficacy, whereas a herbal remedy because of the various active agents it contains, generally influences several biochemical and/or physiological systems present in the body. Identifying this therefore poses several challenges. They are much more complex, and the active components of a herbal remedy may act synergistically or interact in other ways. Although the need to determine modes of action has not been a primary concern of complementary healthcare practitioners, there is increasing pressure to elaborate objectively on their pharmacological action. In response, there has been an encouraging, and escalating, release of scientific data documenting the mode of action of many herbal remedies. Some we know about in considerable detail; of others we have an inkling; but for the vast majority the’ modes of action remain to be elucidated. This brief review, based on a survey of the available scientific and clinical literature, examines the modes of action of several therapeutic herbs which are being increasingly used, whether informally or as part of complementary or integrative medical practice. It examines a major category of sub stances, the adaptogens, and the various chemical forms it embraces, such as the saponins and triterpenes. The herbs with modulate the immune system, for instance garlic, turmeric and St John’s Wort, are likewise surveyed, as are the alkaloids and botanical anti-inflammatory agents. Herbs which exert pharmacological action via their nitric oxide regulatory properties are listed, as are those which provide essential micro-nutrients, such as vitamins and certain minerals. The review concludes with comment on the importance of understanding herbal remedy modes of action as a positive step to their wider adoption in the modern-day therapeutic armamentarium.
VL  - 6
IS  - 5
ER  -

Copy | Download