Adverse Effects of Herbal Drugs

This book gives important information about eighteen specific medicinal herbs and important plant constituents. The herbs and constituents have been selected for several reasons, such as a prominent place in phytotherapy, clinical expectations about therapeutic potential and recent concern about a serious adverse reaction. The World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (Copenhagen) has supported the book in the form of an acknowledgement that has been prepared by this Office.

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This third contribution to our series has the same approach as the previous two volumes. The book opens with a general introductory chapter (this time on herbal postmarketing surveillance), which is fol lowed by eighteen comprehensive monographs about specific medici nal herbs and important plant constituents. The herbs and constituents have been selected for several reasons, such as a prominent place in phytotherapy (e. g. Valeriana species), clinical expectations about therapeutic potential (e. g. Tripterygium species), and recent concern about a serious adverse reaction (e. g. Teucrium chamaedrys). Just as before, the result is a blend of new and old information. THE EDITORS December 1995 Contents An Introduction to Herbal Pharmacovigilance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. A. G. M. DE SMET Artemisia Cina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 H. J. WOERDENBAG, W. VAN UDEN and N. PRAS Aspalathus Linearis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 P. A. G. M. DE SMET Citrullus Colocynthis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 P. A. G. M. DE SMET Fucus Vesiculosus and Allied Brown Algae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 I. H. BOWEN and I. J. CUBBIN Ginkgo Biloba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 H. J. WOERDENBAG and LA. VAN BEEK Glycyrrhiza Glabra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 R. F. CHANDLER Linum Usitatissimum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 H. J. WOERDENBAG, W. VAN UDEN and N. PRAS Phoradendron Flavescens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 P. A. G. M. DE SMET Safrole - General Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 G. ABEL Safrole - Sassafras Albidum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 G. ABEL X Contents Spirulina Species . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 P. A. G. M. DE SMET Teucrium Chamaedrys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 P. A. G. M. DE SMET Tripterygium Species . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 P. A. G. M. DE SMET Valeriana Species . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .