Herbal Supplements

AMITAVA DASGUPTA is a Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston and the director of clinical chemistry, toxicology, and point of care testing at the Memorial Hermann Hospital, the main teaching hospital of the medical school. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Clinical Chemistry and a prolific author and editor. CATHERINE A. HAMMETT-STABLER is a Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also the Director of the Core Laboratory of the McLendon Clinical Laboratories, UNC Health Care. Dr. Hammett-Stabler has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and books.

"This is a wonderful addition to the field of laboratory medicine. You need this book if you ever have to answer questions on how herbal supplements affect clinical laboratory tests." (Doody's, 23 September 2011) "Summing Up: Recommended. Medical students and clinicians." (Choice, 1 August 2011)"Even though Americans rely increasingly on alternative medicine, herbal and traditional remedies do not undergo the testing for safety and efficacy as pharmaceutical drugs. In this book, editors Dasgupta (pathology and laboratory medicine, U. of Texas Medical School at Houston) and Hammett-Stabler (pathology and laboratory medicine, U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) present a balanced and comprehensive introduction to herbal supplements, emphasizing the pharmacological interactions between herbal supplements and Western pharmaceuticals". (Booknews, 1 June 2011)

• Preface xiContributors xiiiPart I Introduction and Overview 11 Introduction to Complementary and Alternative Medicine 3Catherine A. Hammett-Stabler2 Relatively Safe Herbal Remedies 19Angela M. Ferguson and Uttam Garg3 Risk of Toxicity Associated with Unregulated Herbal Products 45Steven W. CottenPart II Effects of Herbal Remedies On Specific Organ Systems 734 Herbal Medicines with Immunomodulatory Effects 75Jeffrey K. Actor5 Kelp and Thyroid Function 125Bruce Rosenzweig6 Herbal Remedies and the Patient with Chronic Kidney Disease 135Mariana S. Markell7 Abnormal Liver Function Tests Due to Hepatotoxic Herbs 155Amitava Dasgupta and Catherine A. Hammett-Stabler8 Homeopathic Medicine: Principle, Effi cacy, and Toxicity 169Amitava Dasgupta9 Indian Ayurvedic Medicines: An Introduction 193Amitava Dasgupta10 Tradition and Perspectives of Greco-Arab and Islamic Herbal Medicine 209Bashar Saad and Omar Said11 Licorice and Laboratory Tests 255Salvador F. SenaPart III Drug Interactions 27312 Drug Interactions with St. John’s Wort 275Matthew D. Krasowski and John L. Blau13 Drug–Herb Interactions in Patients with HIV/AIDS 291Natella Y. Rakhmanina and John N. van den Anker14 Interactions between Fruit Juices and Drugs 305Amitava Dasgupta15 Drug Interactions with Ginkgo Biloba and Ginseng 321Ashok Tholpady and Semyon A. Risin16 Drug Interactions with Garlic and Ginger Supplements 333Charbel Abou-Diwan and James RitchiePart IV Contamination 35117 Heavy Metal Toxicity and Herbal Remedies 353Christine L. H. Snozek and Loralie J. Langman18 Adulteration of Herbal Remedies with Conventional Drugs: Role of the Clinical Laboratory 369Uttam Garg and Angela M. Ferguson19 Beyond Herbals: An Introduction to Poisonous Plants 387Catherine A. Hammett-StablerPart V Analytical Implications 40520 Interferences of Herbal Remedies with Immunoassays for Therapeutic Drugs: Focus on Digoxin 407Amitava Dasgupta21 Role of the Clinical Laboratory in Detecting Plant Poisoning 425Ronald W. McLawhonIndex 443