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Bullous drug eruption to Nigella sativa oil: Consideration of the use of a herbal medicine - clinical report and review of the literature.
Bonhomme, A, Poreaux, C, Jouen, F, Schmutz, JL, Gillet, P, Barbaud, A
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV. 2017;(4):e217-e219
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2.
Observations on the effects of odours on the homeopathic response.
McGuigan, M
Homeopathy : the journal of the Faculty of Homeopathy. 2014;(3):198-202
Abstract
Samuel Hahnemann described incidences where the homeopathic response was disrupted by noxious smells in the environment. An earlier paper proposed that homeopathic medicines may be sensed by vomeronasal cells (VNCs) i.e. microvillus or brush cells in the vomeronasal organ (VNO), the taste buds and associated with the trigeminal nerve and nervus terminalis. This paper proposes an extension to the theory and suggests that a subset of solitary chemosensory cells (SCCs) in the diffuse chemosensory system (DCS) that is morphologically similar to VNCs might also be receptive to homeopathic medicines. The types of odours that may interfere with this process are described. Two clinical cases of disruption of the homeopathic response are given as examples, showing that successful re-establishment of remedy action can be produced by timely repetition of the medicine. The ramifications on clinical homeopathic practice are discussed.
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3.
Herbal medications and plastic surgery: a hidden danger.
Mohan, A, Lahiri, A
Aesthetic plastic surgery. 2014;(2):479-81
Abstract
Herbal medicine is a multibillion-pound industry, and surveys suggest that ~10% of the UK population uses herbal supplements concurrently with prescription medications. Patients and health care practitioners are often unaware of the adverse side effects of herbal medicines. In addition, because many of these herbal supplements are available over the counter, many patients do not disclose these when listing medications to health care providers. A 39-year-old nurse underwent an abdominoplasty with rectus sheath plication after weight loss surgery. Postoperatively, she experienced persistent drain output, and after discharge, a seroma developed requiring repeated drainage in the clinic. After scar revision 10 months later, the woman bled postoperatively, requiring suturing. Again, a seroma developed, requiring repeated drainage. It was discovered that the patient had been taking a herbal menopause supplement containing ingredients known to have anticoagulant effects. Complementary medicine is rarely taught in UK medical schools and generally not practiced in UK hospitals. Many supplements are known to have anticoagulant, cardiovascular, and sedative effects. Worryingly, questions about herbal medicines are not routinely asked in clinics, and patients do not often volunteer such information. With the number and awareness of complementary medications increasing, their usage among the population is likely to increase. The authors recommend specific questioning about the use of complementary medications and consideration of ceasing such medications before surgery. Level of Evidence V This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .
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4.
Hypericum perforatum-induced hepatotoxicity with possible association with copaiba (Copaifera langsdorffii Desf):case report.
Agollo, MC, Miszputen, SJ, Diament, J
Einstein (Sao Paulo, Brazil). 2014;(3):355-7
Abstract
We report a case of liver damage in an elderly patient after the use of herbal products of Hypericum perforatum and copaiba (Copaifera langsdorffii Desf). Hepatotoxicity related to Hypericum perforatum is anecdotally known, but for copaiba, widely used as anti-inflammatory, there is just experimental data in the national literature. This report aimed to draw attention to the possible toxic effects of this association as well as to the clinical recovery of the patient after discontinuing their use. There is a tendency to suspect of the action of drugs to justify a non-viral acute liver injury, because of the large number of drugs responsible for hepatotoxicity. There are experiments and clinical reports in the literature describing some herbal products, including Hypericum perforatum, as the causative agents of this aggression, and are considered innocuous and used with no restrictions. We must remember that adverse reactions also occur with these substances; hence, they should be investigated when collecting the patient´s history, for leading to severe liver failure.
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5.
Acute liver failure caused by 'fat burners' and dietary supplements: a case report and literature review.
Yellapu, RK, Mittal, V, Grewal, P, Fiel, M, Schiano, T
Canadian journal of gastroenterology = Journal canadien de gastroenterologie. 2011;(3):157-60
Abstract
Globally, people are struggling with obesity. Many effective, nonconventional methods of weight reduction, such as herbal and natural dietary supplements, are increasingly being sought. Fat burners are believed to raise metabolism, burn more calories and hasten fat loss. Despite patient perceptions that herbal remedies are free of adverse effects, some supplements are associated with severe hepatotoxicity. The present report describes a young healthy woman who presented with fulminant hepatic failure requiring emergent liver transplantation caused by a dietary supplement and fat burner containing usnic acid, green tea and guggul tree extracts. Thorough investigation, including histopathological examination, revealed no other cause of hepatotoxicity. The present case adds to the increasing number of reports of hepatotoxicity associated with dietary supplements containing usnic acid, and highlights that herbal extracts from green tea or guggul tree may not be free of adverse effects. Until these products are more closely regulated and their advertising better scrutinized, physicians and patients should become more familiar with herbal products that are commonly used as weight loss supplements and recognize those that are potentially harmful.
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6.
An exceptional case of acute renal failure: is there a renal toxicity of Artemisia herba-alba?
Aloui, S, Skhiri, H, Ltaief, A, Elmay, M
Renal failure. 2010;(8):1009-11
Abstract
A 59-year-old diabetic man was admitted for severe acute renal failure. Clinical signs were compatible with an acute tubular necrosis but no etiology was found. Kidney biopsy showed an osmotic nephrosis. Resumption of interrogatoire reveals consumption of Artemisia herba-alba accused in very few experimental studies to cause a lesion indicative of osmotic nephrosis.
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7.
Report of 12 cases of ankylosing spondylitis patients treated with Tripterygium wilfordii.
Ji, W, Li, J, Lin, Y, Song, YN, Zhang, M, Ke, Y, Ren, Y, Deng, X, Zhang, J, Huang, F, et al
Clinical rheumatology. 2010;(9):1067-72
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE Description of the clinical response of 12 consecutive cases of disease-active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) treated with the herbal medicine Tripterygium wilfordii Hook f (TwHf; lei gong teng, thunder god vine), which has been reported in controlled studies to be effective in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS The clinical status of 12 patients with active AS who were started on 60 mgday(-1) of a commercial tablet preparation of TwHf extract. were monitored at weeks 1, 3, and 6. RESULTS Compared to baseline, there was significant improvement in mean values of physician assessment, Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI), Bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index (BASFI), and Bath ankylosing spondylitis global score (BAS-G) at weeks 3 and 6, with no changes in liver enzymes or complete blood count (CBC). CONCLUSION A placebo-controlled double-blind study for Tripterygium is warranted. Until then, this particular report should be considered as case reports and not an endorsement of the use of Tripterygium in clinical practice.
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8.
Drug-induced liver injury due to "natural products" used for weight loss: a case report.
Tarantino, G, Pezzullo, MG, di Minno, MN, Milone, F, Pezzullo, LS, Milone, M, Capone, D
World journal of gastroenterology. 2009;(19):2414-7
Abstract
Taking herbal-extracts to lose weight is an underestimated health hazard. Often, these products contain active agents that can cause acute liver damage. In this case report, a 22-year-old female patient, who presented with a feature of cholestatic syndrome, was so sure that the "natural products" were not dangerous that she did not inform her physicians that she had taken them, making their task that much more challenging. Clinical presentation mimicked acute cholecystitis and the patient underwent a cholecystectomy. Surgery was without any consequences and complications, although it did not completely cure the illness. She later admitted to having taken herbal remedies and this led to the correct diagnosis of phytotherapy-related hepatotoxicity and a successful therapeutic approach. The true incidence of phytotherapy-related hepatotoxicity and its pathogenic mechanisms are largely unknown. It is important to increase the awareness of both clinicians and patients about the potential dangers of herbal remedies.
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[Drug-induced liver injury caused by an herbal medicine, bofu-tsu-sho-san].
Motoyama, H, Enomoto, M, Yasuda, T, Fujii, H, Kobayashi, S, Iwai, S, Morikawa, H, Takeda, T, Tamori, A, Sakaguchi, H, et al
Nihon Shokakibyo Gakkai zasshi = The Japanese journal of gastro-enterology. 2008;(8):1234-9
Abstract
A 37-year-old woman was admitted to a hospital with jaundice. Within a couple of weeks, her liver function improved with only symptomatic therapy. About 30 to 60 days before admission, she had taken a herbal medicine, bofu-tsu-sho-san. A diagnosis of drug-induced liver injury was made according to the diagnostic scale proposed at the Digestive Disease Week-Japan 2004. A drug-lymphocyte stimulation test for each ingredient of bofu-tsu-sho-san; the results were positive for Cnidii Rhizoma, Angelicae Radix and Menthae Herba. The liver biopsy specimen revealed features of acute hepatitis. Physicians should be aware that bofu-tsu-sho-san can cause liver injury, as this drug is commonly used as an over-the-counter medicine.
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10.
[A sugar cane dressing for treating fibrinous and colonized wounds].
Chatot-Henry, D, Arnaud, C, Jean, J, Chatot-Henry, C
Soins. Gerontologie. 2007;(67):18-9