Hemorrhoids

Traditional Indian Therapeutic Herbal Agent for the Treatment of Ischemic Myocardial Disorders: Promises and Precautions

Cardiovascular disorders (CVD) like ischemic heart disease, hypertension, dysrhythmia and cerebrovascular complications account for maximum mortality in developed and developing world. According to World Bank health review, estimated deaths in all age groups due to CVD may mount up to 33% by 2015. In addition, ever increasing healthcare costs to the society are also becoming a huge social liability. Especially, ischemic heart diseases (IHD) are leading cause of mortalities and morbidities encountered by almost all CVD patients around the world. Till now there are a few approved therapeutic agents, one of them is tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), for the treatment of ischemic disorders. Moreover, use of thrombolytic agents and surgical interventions involve high interventional costs both economically and physiologically. Prevention of IHD can significantly add on to the quality of life of the vulnerable section of population than its therapeutic management. It has been established that injury and ensuing necrosis to cardiomyocytes can result from sudden reperfusion of the ischemic core which is pathognomonic of myocardial ischemic reperfusion injury. The underlying mechanisms viz. exacerbated generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), inflammatory reactivity and uncontrollable necrosis are responsible for massive cellular injury during IHD. An ideal treatment should address most of these mechanisms without disturbing other vital physiological systems. Traditional herbal therapy has been shown to provide almost all of these benefits. The clinical evaluation of active constituents of many ayurvedic medicines like Terminalia arjuna greatly reinforces these centuries’ old beliefs. However, the increasing concomitant use of herbal therapeutic agents with modern medicines by patients with CVD poses a grave clinical challenge to physicians. In addition to this, less than 50% of the patients inform the use of alternative medicines to their physicians. Even if patients report it, many times physicians himself is unaware of the knowledge about the activity and the toxicity potentials of active constituents. Hence, a physician sometimes finds himself grossly unequipped to handle possible alterations in the actions of modern medicines used for the treatment of CVDs.

To highlight the advances in traditional herbal medicines, their potential therapeutic effects, possible drug-herb interactions and precautions to be taken are discussed in this chapter. Patients commonly use These scientifically validated herbs as an alternative therapy for the prevention and management of cardiovascular disorders.

Herbal Products in Hypertension: Paradox or, Paragon

Hypertension is one of the most common diseases in the current health scenario as per the report of World Health Organization. It is a chronic medical condition in which the blood pressure remains elevated and thus leads to a plethora of pathological conditions including renal, pulmonary and cardiovascular disorders. The root cause of this disease lies in the changing lifestyle that includes food habits and stress. A number of conventional drugs are available for hypertension and its comorbidities viz. thiazide-diuretics, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and calcium channel blockers. Use of these drugs is limited by side effects like hypokalaemia, precipitation of diabetes, hyperuricaemia, diarrhoea, rash, abdominal pain, chest pain, dizziness, impotence, bleeding, etc. In last few decades, researchers have focused on drug discovery from herbal medicines. Moreover, we have a long history of usage of herbal drugs for the clinical management of hypertension. The pharmacological activity of these drugs is mainly attributed to phytoconstituents such as flavonoids, phenols and alkaloids, which synergistically act against hypertensive disease and significantly diminish the co-morbidities of this disease. In this chapter, we discuss about the anti-hypertensive activity of plants selected among the most reported in literature, with a focus on their possible mode of action.

Herbal Therapies and Micronutrient Supplements in Cardiovascular Disease

Herbal remedies have been used throughout history both for culinary and medicinal purposes, including for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Some derivatives of herbs (aspirin, digitalis) are commonly used pharmacotherapies today [1, 2]. Although drug therapy of conventional risk factors for CVD is effective, there is growing awareness of dietary factors and herbal medicines and their use in the prevention and potential treatment of CVD. Many herbal remedies have not undergone careful scientific evaluation with clinical trials and are often available over the counter to lay persons and sold by unregulated agencies [3]. The American Herbal Products Association, the British Herbal Medicine Association, and the European Committee on Herbal Medicine Products Act has implemented product testing and registries to assure safety of herbal supplements. Because of their prevalent use, healthcare providers and patients should be informed about the potential for benefit and harm. This chapter reviews herbal remedies used for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and related conditions, including atherosclerosis and CVD risk factors, angina pectoris, peripheral vascular disease, venous insufficiency, hypertension, congestive heart failure, and arrhythmias. Additionally, we describe the use of antioxidant vitamins and micronutrient supplements in CVD prevention. Precautions, side effects and adverse interactions are also considered. We want to emphasize that more rigorous research to elucidate the physiologic and long-term effects of these therapies on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, as well as open communication between patients and physicians regarding herbal medicine use is needed for appropriate use of therapy and to avoid complications.

Industrial Uses of MAPs: The Pharmaceutical Sector

Medicinal and aromatic plants play an important role in the pharmaceutical sector, both in the phytotherapy aspect, as in the strictly medicinal significance. Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils for therapeutic purposes. The absorption can be topical, oral or by inhalation. The second group includes all preventive and therapeutic use of MAP or their active ingredients. Active principles from medicinal plants are called phytopharmaceuticals, phytomedicines, herbal medicines or botanicals. Current pharmacopoeia reached more than 7,000 compounds derived from these plants. The uses of these substances include: 1) health care using natural products; 2) The newer drugs against the challenges of the twenty-first century (cancer, cholesterol, diabetes, dementia, depression, malaria, stress, etc.); 3) Essential oils used in aromatherapy; and 4) compounds useful in the veterinary area. The main species used in each of the previous four sections are introduced in this chapter.