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Risks Of Herbal Remedies: More Of The Bad And The Ugly, Richard Philp Feb 2007

Risks Of Herbal Remedies: More Of The Bad And The Ugly, Richard Philp

Richard B. Philp

The widespread and increasing use of herbal remedies has increased the risk, and the documentation, of adverse effects. This paper describes some of these that have occurred since 2004. Cases are discussed in which herbal remedies (St. John’s wort, echinacea, grapefruit juice) have altered the metabolism of prescription drugs. Others have interfered with diagnostic laboratory tests (Chan Su, Dan Shen) or caused pseudoaldosteronism due to their (unidentified) content of glycyerrhizin. Aristolochia spp. have caused nephropathy. Hypersensitivity reactions (spice ginger and others), increased sensitivity to ultraviolet therapy (PUVA) (St. John’s wort) have been reported and the consumption of blue cohosh by …


Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Psychological Or Somatic?, Richard B. Philp Dec 2006

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Psychological Or Somatic?, Richard B. Philp

Richard B. Philp

Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is one of a complex group of related disorders that includes fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, acute anxiety disorder, and sick building syndrome that share some symptomatology and that are sometimes grouped under the category of idiopathic environmental intolerance or IEIs. In MCS the individual (female in 4 of 5 cases) reacts in an aversive manner to a host of inhaled chemicals (odors) after an initial “sensitizing” exposure. This group is characterized by the absence of any definitive, objective, diagnostic criteria. Because of this these conditions are generally felt to have a predominantly psychological etiology. Nevertheless, there …