Therapeutic and Adverse Effects of Commonly Used Medicinal Plants: Standardization and Quality Assurance: Adverse Effects of Commonly used Herbs

The use of medicinal plants has witnessed an upsurge because of a general perception of being economical, effective and safe relative to allopathic medications. However, converging evidence suggests unwanted allergic reactions of herbal preparations and also toxic fatal reactions in the body signifying need for the extensive toxicity assessments. Moreover, some adverse reactions can stem from the contamination of herbal drugs which is attributed to the lack of standardization and quality control of herbal drugs. Contamination of metals, microorganisms and false identification can also end up in causing toxicity and allergic reactions which demand the dire need for pharmacovigilance to promote safe use of herbal preparations. In this paper, we have presented a review of literature on the toxicity profiles of most commonly used medicinal plants and presented valuable recommendations to allow safe use of the herbal medicines.