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Medical Video: 10 Common Home Remedies That Can Put You in Danger
Herbal remedies formulated from the leaves of plants, bark, fruit, flowers, and fragrant roots have been used since the days of the ancestors to cure various diseases. However, circulation of herbal supplements is not strictly regulated by medical drugs by BPOM.
So, are herbal medicines safe for consumption?
According to Prof. Maksum Radji, Professor of Pharmacy at the University of Indonesia, so that an herbal medicine can be declared safe, the product must be scientifically proven safety through a series of clinical trials, including acute toxicity test, sub-acute toxicity test, chronic toxicity test, and teratogenic test, reported from Compass. Herbal medicines must also be tested for dosage, how to use, effectiveness, monitoring side effects, and their interactions with other drug compounds.
Unfortunately, most herbal medicines circulating in Indonesia fall into the category of herbs and OHT (Standard Herbal Medicine). Both are types of traditional medicine that have not been proven to be safe based on clinical trials. The benefits of OHT can only be proven as far as experiments in lab animals. The results of this preclinical trial are often used as the basis that herbal medicines can cure various diseases. Meanwhile, herbs that usually use spices and spices combination variations from generation to generation do not have a dose and a definite indication.
Dr. Peter Canter and Prof. Edzard Ernst from Peninsula Medical, reported from The Telegraph, revealed that so far strong clinical evidence that can prove the effectiveness of herbs and herbal medicines to cure diseases is still very limited. And because the potential for side effects is suspected to be greater than the benefits, this lack of medical evidence can mean that the use of herbal medicines is not recommended.
Not everyone can drink herbs and herbal medicines
Although made from natural ingredients, all spices also contain chemical compounds that have the potential to pose a risk of adverse side effects. For example, temulawak herbal medicine. Curcuma is claimed to be effective as an appetite enhancing drug and overcoming constipation, but not many know that ginger has blood thinning properties that can cause acute kidney bleeding in patients with liver disease.
The risk of side effects may also include imported products contaminated with agricultural chemicals or other foreign organisms during the manufacturing process in their home country. For example, herbal medicines which are doubtful about their freshness and quality have the potential to contain the Amanita phaloides fungus which produces aflatoxin which can damage the liver.
In addition, a number of imported Chinese viagra herbal supplements have been shown to contain up to four times the dose of a mixture of chemical compounds from prescription medical drugs commonly used to treat obesity and anti-impotence, which can cause serious side effects such as heart problems and blood pressure. In fact, the name herbal supplement products must not contain synthetic drugs at all.
Taking herbal medicines is legitimate, as long as ...
Consuming herbs and herbal medicines as a complementary alternative to synthetic drugs (both prescription and non-prescription) is actually permissible. Herbal medicine in the form of decoction is relatively safe because toxic substances that may be contained (for example, cassava leaves contain cyanide) have undergone changes in chemical structure so that it is safe for consumption. Herbal medicine concocted with other methods must always be questioned for safety.
But herbal supplements usually show new benefits if consumed regularly in the long run. Therefore herbal medicines should only be consumed to maintain health, restore disease, or reduce the risk of illness - not to cure. To cure diseases, prescription drugs are needed.
It's just that, pay attention to the dosage and time of using herbal medicine if you are using other drugs. Herbal medicines should not be taken before medical drugs to avoid the risk of interaction of chemical compounds, and should be consumed 1-2 hours after medical drugs.
Herbal supplements also cannot be taken carelessly because each person's reaction to drugs can be different from each other. Although they have the same complaints, not necessarily herbal medicines that turn out to be suitable for you will provide the same benefits to your child or neighbor.
