NATURAL MEDICINES CAN BE TOXIC
The recent trend among consumers toward "natural" medicines is giving doctors and pharmacists a new set of concerns when prescribing drugs.
"People think that herbal medications are something you buy over-the-counter, so they cannot be toxic, but they can be," says Bill Hardigan, Dean of the College of Pharmacy at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale. "Generally, we think of these products as safe, but the biggest concern is they could interact with other drugs."
Many times patients forget to tell their doctors and pharmacists they are taking herbal remedies. There is a potential that mixing prescriptions with herbs could lead to bigger problems, says Hardigan. Nova Southeastern University's College of Pharmacy just planted "Medicinal Garden" to help students of the health professions learn about herbal remedies and their interactions with prescription drugs.
Fifteen or 20 years ago pharmacy schools discontinued the study of natural plants in the curriculum so they could focus on pharmaceutical care. A renewed interest by consumers is forcing pharmacists to learn more so they can teach the public about the benefits and risks associated with herbs, says Hardigan.
"If a patient is taking melatonin to induce sleep and they are also taking prescription medicine for the same purpose--that's a problem," says Hardigan. "That could be fatal."
He tells of a man with hypertension who was referred to one of NSU's pharmacists because he could not get his blood-pressure down, even with anti-hypertension medication.
"Once the pharmacist found out he was taking three different herbals that could have prevented his body from absorbing the anti-hypertension prescription he was able to stabilize his health."
The NSU College of Pharmacy's new Medicinal Garden will serve as an educational resource for pharmacy, medical and other health professional students
"We know, for example, that the herb Saw-Palmetto is used to treat prostate enlargement, but we are not sure of the mechanism in Saw-Palmetto that is producing the effect," says Hardigan. "We are learning as we go, what it is that is making these herbs work."
Students are researching plant clippings, while working with pharmaceutical company advisory boards to learn more about herbs inside and outside of the classroom. They hope to answer questions such as why Siberian Ginseng decreases inflamation, while Korean Ginseng, a member of the same plant family, produces the opposite reaction.
The Medicinal Garden, located on the NSU campus, contains plants from around the world that are tolerant of southern Florida conditions, including folk remedies, medical and nutritional plant sources and related species. The College of Pharmacy is working with an international collaboration of researchers from universities and pharmaceutical companies in Asia, Africa, South and Central America.
"Folk and traditional healing is rich in expertise and wisdom about certain plants. We want to bring an understanding to folk knowledge," says Hardigan. The American Plains Indians, for example, have long known the importance of Echinea to heal a cold. Nova Southeastern College of Pharmacy wants to find out what chemical is producing increased antibodies to cure the common cold.
"Consumers are coming to pharmacists and saying "'This cold will not go away. Should I double the dosage of Echinea?,'"says Hardigan. "People are looking for answers and pharmacists need to know how and why herbal medicines work."
Additionally, Nova Southeastern hopes the Medicinal Garden will help horticulture and pharmaceutical companies by introducing new plants to the trade. The Garden will become a research laboratory where students will study and search for new beneficial treatments.
While the garden is exposing pharmacy students to the importance of natural therapies, it will also give researchers, health-care professionals, landscape enthusiasts and environmentalists a new appreciation for the bounty and variety of the world of horticulture.
"The return to natural pharmacy is a tremendous boom," says Hardigan. "We have an opportunity to bridge modern medicine with traditional healing practices."
###
Editors: If you would like to speak with Dean Hardigan, he is at 954-262-1300. Another good point of contact is Randy Abraham, assistant director of public relations for the College of Pharmacy. He's at 954-262-1595. Please contact Steve Infanti of Dick Jones Communications at 814-867-1963 or via e-mail at [email protected]
RSS