Interactions of natural products with drugs of conventional use in clinical practice

Abstract

Herbal drugs are a mixture of active compounds, which increase the possibility of interactions between them and conventional drugs. Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic mechanisms are implicated in the interactions, with focus on P450 enzymes and transporters, as P-gp. To investigate about the principal plants with suspicions of adverse reactions in Cuba and their potential interaction with conventional drugs. Methods. PubMed was the database used as source of information and reports of pharmacovigilance Cuban system. Information was structured and analyzed with EndNote X4. 21438 articles and reports were analyzed. Allium sativum L. (garlic) was the plant with the high number of studies related with CYP450 and Pg-p. Plants with great demand as Morinda citrifolia L. (noni), Psidium guajava L. (guayaba), Zingiber officinale Roscoe (ginger) and Eucalyptus spp. (eucalyptus) have a very small number of studies. Other natural products, as Vimang, one mango stem bark extract, show potential interactions, but until present no clinical evidences has been reported. It is necessary enhance reports and investigations and to put to disposition of the system of health information on the interactions of plants and to stimulate the investigation that offers information for the rational use of our medicinal plants.