ABSTRACT
This chapter intends to provide a brief overview of the basic ethical principles that are applicable to natural health products (NHPs), including herbal medicines. Bene˜cence, nonmalfeasance (nonmale˜cence), and patient autonomy are important pillars of biomedical ethics that also apply to the realm of natural medicines (Kemper and Cohen 2004). The data about herbal medicine utilization, pharmacology, safety, and ef˜cacy are discussed, as well as conditions in which herbal medicines may be used as primary versus adjunct treatment. Issues of NHP-drug interactions are reviewed, as they may be synergistic or antagonistic and must be considered whenever concomitant use of products occurs. Gaps in knowledge are identi˜ed, and recommendations are suggested to further explore the issues related to NHP-drug interactions.
