Herbal medicine misuse: monitoring and evaluating

Many herbs have been, and continue to be, used as medicines. Despite widespread use, cases oftoxicity are relatively rare. Herbal medicine is a distinct medical system that has evolved overthousands of years and is accessible in over ۱۷۰ countries worldwide.Herbal medicines are active ingredients from plant parts, such as leaves, roots, or flowers. But being"natural" doesn't necessarily mean they're safe to take. Just like conventional medicines, herbalmedicines will affect the body and can be potentially harmful if not used correctly. The inherentproblem is the lack of standardization and regulation of herbal medicines.The Present Review Was Performed Adopting the Following Databases: PubMed, and Google ScholarSelection criteria were defined, including articles regarding studies on medicinal plants traditionallyused in Iran and biological activities that can be spent in the pharmaceutical fields.The keywords were selected: “Iranian medicinal plants”, and “Iranian plants biological activities”. Onlyarticles in the English language were selected.Out of ۲۴۶ plants used in Iranian traditional medicine, ۱۵ activities were reported. Most activitieswere related to antibacterial, cytotoxic, and antioxidant activity. The most used parts of the plant inthese activities were aerial parts and leaves.Herbal mixtures contain some bioactive and potentially toxic compounds. The reports documented inthe literature have shown that despite the crucial role of herbal medicine for man, some plantspecies are reported to be cytotoxic at high dosages. This means very safe compounds can be toxic ata high dose and vice versa. Therefore, safety relating to herbal mixtures or products cannot bedisregarded, as knowledge is key in preventing overdoses or abuse.Due to the widespread use of herbal medicines by patients and Iranian medicine specialists, thesystem of monitoring and evaluating the amount and method of plant consumption is necessary toreduce the side effects caused by misuse.