Medicinal plants
"Natural" products are not safe
Recommendations so that the use and consumption of products made from medicinal plants is carried out with a minimum of safety. The advertising claims of some of these products about their safety are not supported by scientific studies
Safely use and consume products made from medicinal plants
- Refuse any product whose labeled does not come in Spanish and/or lacks the list of ingredients.
- Beware of advice that recommends you stop a treatment or a dose prescribed by your doctor. Check with your doctor before doing prescription changes as a consequence of the consumption of products made with medicinal plants.
- Remember that medicinal plants for their active components should be used with caution.
- Remember that “natural” does not always mean safe. Many plants can be toxic to humans. Many medicines have been developed from medicinal plants thanks to the pharmacological components they contain.
- Medicinal plants may have potential unwanted or adverse effects.
- Medicinal plants can interact/react with other medications and other plants. These interactions can lead to decreased or enhanced drug effects, including side effects. When you consult the doctor or the pharmacist about your health, always tell him the medicinal plants that you are taking.
- If you think that a product made from medicinal plants has caused you a unwanted reaction, discontinue use and consult your doctor or pharmacist.
- As far as possible use preparations based on a single medicinal plant to avoid interactions/reactions between the different components or between them and the medicines.
- Patients with chronic diseases, liver problems or with a history of allergies should first consult a doctor about the consumption of products made with medicinal plants.
- Like any medicine, keep medicinal plants out of the reach of children.
- In most cases, medicinal plants do not have a safety evaluation, so the doctor should be consulted about their use in pregnant women, lactating women, children and the elderly.
Recommendations for healthcare professionals
Health professionals must make patients aware of the need to report on the consumption of medicinal plants and other health-related products (vitamins, food supplements, ...). These products can be made up of active ingredients with pharmacological activity that can cause adverse effects, interactions or any other problem related to their individual consumption or concomitant to the prescription.
- Require during the consultation if the patient is a habitual consumer of products based on medicinal plants, vitamins and other food supplements and attach them to the patient's clinical history. This information can be as useful as knowing your smoking, drinking, or exercise habits.
- Inform patients and especially those who have chronic, hepatic pathologies, with a history of allergic reactions, pregnant and lactating mothers about the advisability of not consuming preparations based on medicinal plants without prior consultation.
- If an adverse drug reaction is suspected, ask the patient if he or she uses herbal products.
If an adverse reaction is suspected from the consumption of a herbal product or a possible interaction between a medication and a herbal product, notify the Spanish Pharmacovigilance System.
In addition to the interactions and adverse reactions of medicinal plants, there may be other problems related to the use and consumption of preparations from medicinal plants:
- Poisoning as a result of misidentification of the medicinal plant in question.
- Contamination by microorganisms, by other plants or by chemical products (pesticides, fumigation products).
- Accidental or intentional adulteration with metals, alkaloids, synthetic drugs, etc.
- Presence of unwanted allergens that may be of special risk in people with a previous allergic substrate.
- Effects derived from the abandonment of conventional pharmacological therapy by replacing it with medicinal plants.
- Effects derived from the mixture of different medicinal plants whose pharmacologically active substances are difficult or impossible to identify since they come from different parts of the plant.
- Effects derived from the marked variability of the content of active substances, even of defined and known species, depending on the season in which the plant has been harvested, the area, the growth conditions and the part of the plant used (stem, root, leaves, etc).
If you suspect that the problem is related to one of them, notify the Pharmaceutical Control and Health Products Area, calle Espronceda, 24, 4ª planta - 28003 Madrid, control.farmaceutico@salud.madrid.org.
Report the suspected adverse reaction from the consumption of a medicinal plant-based product or a possible interaction between a drug and a medicinal plant-based product