Use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) for preventive and therapeutic purposes has increased tremendously in the last two decades internationally. The manufacturers of these products are not required to submit proof of safety or efficacy to the Food and Drug Administration. As a result, the adverse effects and drug interactions associated with them are largely unknown. In this chapter, the author presents interactions of herbal medicines with other medicines (herbal or non-herbal). A large number of herbal drugs, including from single drug to a variety of mixtures have been used to treat kidney disorders. Herb-herb or herb drug interaction has been reported intensively during last decade, therefore it becomes important to keep an eye on the use of combination herbal therapy in order to avoid serious results because of interactions with each other. Due to the growing awareness about the interactions and side effects of herbal drugs/supplements over the past few years, regulatory bodies are working on these issues and pharmacopoeias are being developed for reference.
TopBackground
The kidney is an essential organ when it comes to detoxification of the body. A large number of substances are excreted through the kidney making it vulnerable to toxins. A number of therapeutic drugs can adversely affect the kidney resulting in acute kidney injury (AKI), nephritic syndrome and chronic interstitial nephritis. Medicinal plants are used for the treatment of various diseases (also called ‘Herbal medicine’ or ‘phytomedicine’). Although herbalism has a long tradition of use outside conventional medicine, it is becoming more mainstream as improvements quality control, and clinical research, show the value of herbal medicine in treating and preventing disease. In general, four types of herbal medicine exist: Asian, European, Indigenous, and Neo-Western. The Asian and European systems go back thousands of years, appear in pharmacopoeia, and with such a tradition of use, are better understood than those of indigenous origins that are often only orally recorded (Desmet, 1996). Pharmacopoeia is an official book published usually under the jurisdiction of the government and which contains a list of drugs, their formulas, and methods of identification, requirements and tests for their strength and purity, and other related information. The ones which are most established are of Asian origin, particularly from India (Aryuvedic, Unani, Siddha), China (Wu-Hsing), and Japan (Kampo). Regulatory bodies of various countries have become conscious about the various aspects of herbalism and thus prepared official monographs of these medicines regarding their identity, purity, and analysis. In India a well-established ministry (Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH)) looks after these five systems of indigenous medicines that are widely practiced in India. For every system of medicine, there is an official pharmacopoeia, for instance, India has Unani Pharmacopeia, and Aryuvedic pharmacopoeia. America has the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia. In the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China (PPRC) volume 1 covers the Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, including Traditional Chinese Patent Medicines, while Volume 2 is dedicated to conventional pharmaceuticals.