[MPWG] Clinical protocol for herbs/plants

Sun Nov 13 00:43:02 CST 2005

Very true. Traditional medicines are in use since generations and humanbeings are getting benefit but when modern science try to evaluate it under their frame they start it with laboratory animals and at end try it on humanbeings. By working with the traditional experts and experiencing their work one can do more serious research than through modern research methodology.

regards
Pankaj Oudhia

rrr at montana.com wrote:
Hello all,

I really hesitate to jump into this conversation. As one of the few
trained clinical herbalists on the MPWG list, I must remind everyone that
herbal medicine is very different from herbal medicines. The former is a
model of healing not accepted by the AMA, yet used the world over (e.g.,
traditional Chinese medicine, ayurveda). The latter represents the tools
used in these models of healing, herbs.

I would not expect someone who sells herbs to know how to tell me how to
use the tools they sell (dietary supplements) any better than they can
tell me how to get a root canal just because they sell toothpaste. I am
not trying to diss anyone. All I want to point out is that there are huge
misunderstandings today about herbal products being used, as if they were
drugs.

Ah. Already I am sinking. Try again.

Testing of pharmacological action of plant material is the stuff of
natural products chemistry not traditional herbal medicine. You will get
different answers, you see.

For example, herbalists don't use clinical protocols like doctors do. They
use pulse and tongue diagnosis, energetics and constitutional assessment.
This is very different.

I guess I just want to remind you all that just because a herb has been
found by natural products research to be antibacterial does not mean it is
antibacterial. Sigh. Just read the scientific and AMA literature with a
grain of salt and remember that true application of herbs by traditional
herbalists can be a very different event.

Best Regards,
Robyn Klein, prof member of AHG, MSc. Medical Botany

> Clinical testing would be performed along the lines of pharmacological
> classification and hence the type of formulation tested is not the main
> criteria. Therefore you would be hard-pressed to find specific info on
> herbal teas. I would suggest locating info on the testing of
> pharmacological action of any herbal tea that is to be tested.
>
> 1. An excellent although old source for clinical guidelines for herbal
> medicines would be a publication of WHO titled:
>
> Research Guidelines for Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Herbal
> Medicines
>
> 2. Latest and current information on clinical protocols have been provided
> in three chapters of the book "GMP for Botanicals":
>
> a. Pharmacological evaluation of herbal drug development
> b. Clinical trials of herbal medicine
> c. Role of bioassays in development of natural products
>
> 3. In-depth and detailed guidelines have been provided in three chapters
> of the book "Quality Control of Herbal Drugs"
>
> a. Pharmacological screening of herbal drugs (includes 22 categories like
> antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, diuretic, wound-healing etc.)
> b. Antimicrobial and parasiticidal screening of herbal drugs
> c. Screening for antiviral activity
>
> These books can be purchased from www.Amazon.com
>
> Actually, there is very little information on clinical evaluation
> procedures specifically for herbal medicines available in any other book.
> Maybe this could be an opportunity for a noteworthy trade or scientific
> organization to come up and develop just such guidelines to help herbal
> manufacturers better cope with the contemporary regulatory requirements of
> herbal products as "Medicines" rather than as "food supplements".
>
> J P S Kohli (B. Pharm)
> Business Horizons
> Pharmaceutical Publishers
> G-59, Masjid Moth, GK-2
> New Delhi - 110 048, INDIA
>
> Ph: (91) 921206 1554
> Fax: (91-11) 5163 7296
> US Fax: 1 (815) 642 4900
>
> E-Mail: info at businesshorizons.com
> Alternate: businesshorizons at yahoo.com
> Web Site: http://www.businesshorizons.com
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> information contained in posts is not intended nor implied to be a
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> information that is discussed on this list should be carefully reviewed by
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> do not reflect any official opinions or positions of the Plant
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Disclaimer 
Any advice given on this list regarding diagnosis or treatments etc. reflects ONLY the opinion of the individual who posts the message. The information contained in posts is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice relative to your specific medical condition or question. All medical and other healthcare information that is discussed on this list should be carefully reviewed by the individual reader and their qualified healthcare professional. Posts do not reflect any official opinions or positions of the Plant Conservation Alliance. 

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