Natural product and drugs interactions, its clinical implication in drug therapy management

The interaction of natural products and drugs is a common hidden problem encountered in clinical practice. The interactions between natural products and drugs are based on the same pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles as drug-drug interactions. Clinically important interactions appear to involve effects on drug metabolism via cytochrome P-450 isoenzymes, impairment of hepatic or renal function, and other possible mechanisms. To effectively counsel patients on interactions involving natural products, physicians, and pharmacists should be familiar with the most commonly used products, and have access to information on more obscure products. In this review, we describe details of drugs interaction with natural products and its impact on drug therapy management.