ABSTRACT
Introduction ............................................................................................................ 347 The Quality ............................................................................................................348 Plant Parts ..............................................................................................................348 Plant Secondary Metabolites ................................................................................. 349
Secondary Metabolites ...................................................................................... 349 Molecular Basis ................................................................................................. 349 Types of Secondary Metabolites ....................................................................... 349
Stress Compounds .................................................................................................. 350 Their Roles? ...................................................................................................... 350 Types ................................................................................................................. 350
Recommendations for Herbal Usage ..................................................................... 350 Setup for an Herb-Drug Interaction to Occur ................................................... 351 Common Herbal Drug Interactions................................................................... 351
Reputable Manufacturers ....................................................................................... 355 Summary ................................................................................................................ 355 Further Reading ..................................................................................................... 355
INTRODUCTION
Over the years, herbals have gained popularity in the Western world as a potential alternative to contemporary medicine. With its use, patients do not think to report or list their herbals as potential medication to their physicians, pharmacists, and healthcare providers. Being used as medication to treat different types of illnesses in
traditional medicine, one would think that these products will also carry with them a danger of side effects, toxicity, and interactions with other medication if used in excess or not under supervision of an expert in traditional medicine.
