Adverse reactions of herbal medicine—A quantitative assessment of severity in Mauritius

Publication date: Available online 2 February 2018Source: Journal of Herbal MedicineAuthor(s): Fawzi Mahomoodally, Shanoo Suroowan, Uddhav SreekeessoonAbstractWe aimed to document possible adverse reactions (ARs) experienced by herbal medicine (HM) consumers and provide a quantitative evaluation of the severity of any ARs reported. We also compared reported ARs with existing literature to validate any interaction(s). Data was collected via interviews from key informants (n = 327). Ethnobotanical indices namely; relative frequency of citation, index of severity of ARs (ISAR), and ethnobotanicity index (EI) were calculated. The Pearson’s Chi-squared test was used to determine any association. The strength of the association was evaluated using the Phi (ϕ) coefficient and the Cramer’s V test. Twenty percent of HM users experienced ARs following use of HM. A total of 48 HM remedies, including 47 plants (with 15 plants recorded for the first time to cause ARs), and one polyherbal formulation containing four herbs were recorded to induce 46 distinct ARs. The EI showed that 7.24% of the local flora can cause ARs. Six plants (Murraya koenigii L., Datura stramonium L., Atropa belladonna L., Rubus alceifolius Poir., Piper betle L., Phoenix dactylifera L.) recorded the highest ISAR value of 1.000 implying that these plants cause severe ARs. Moreover, one HM user experienced a comatose state that led to hospitalisation by consuming decoction of the peels of Lagenaria siceraria (...
Source: Journal of Herbal Medicine - Category: Complementary Medicine Source Type: research