The need to monitor the usage of traditional herbal remedies

RESUMO

In the Caribbean, remedies made from Chenopodium ambrosioides are commonly used internally to treat many medical conditions such as asthma, dysentry, fatigue and worms. The bioactive component found in the oil of this plant is ascaridole, which causes severe gastro-intestinal discomfort if used excessively. Other hazardous plants include Datura stramonium and Abrus precatorius. It is, therefore, imperative for awareness programs to be set up to educate the population about the use of herbal remedies. Assistance from the Chemistry, Food and Drugs Division of the Ministry of Health in Trinidad and Tobago is needed to formulate guidelines for the proper use of of herbal remedies by patients. A database of tropical poisonous herbs should be made available to hospitals and other health facilities around the country. It is imperative for physicians to ask about their use of herbal supplements and remedies as they are ideally situated to give good counseling and to even help in integrating herbal modalities into conventional care