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Herb-Drug Interactions and Their Impact on Pharmacokinetics: An Update
Wenhao Cheng1,2, Kexin Xia1, Siyang Wu1
1Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16, Nanxiao Street, Dongzhimen Nei, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100022, China.
Abstract:
Herb medicine has a long history of application and is still used worldwide. With the development of complementary and alternative medicine, the interaction between herb and drugs has attracted more and more attention. Herb-drug interactions (HDI) could cause decreased efficiency, increased toxicity, and affect the drug absorption and disposition processes due to the interference of their pharmacological or pharmacokinetic effects. Hence, the mechanisms and results of herb-pharmacokinetic interactions should be comprehensively summarized. Here, we have summarized the mechanisms of HDI and pharmacokinetic interactions in the last ten years based on searching on PubMed, Science Direct, and Web of Science with different keywords. Besides, the pharmacokinetic interactions were related to nine commonly used herbs and drugs, including Ginseng, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Ginkgo biloba, Garlic, Coptis chinensis, St. John's wort, Ginger, Licorice, Silythistle and Fructus Schisandrae. This review provides an overview of HDI to provide a reference for the rational and safe clinical use of herbs and drugs.
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