Challenges for phytopharmacovigilance

It is important that the safety of herbal medicines is scientifically addressed Throughout history, plants have been used for medicinal purposes and, during the last three decades, we have witnessed a most remarkable revival of herbal medicine.1 Germany is the country with the largest per head consumption of herbal medicines. In 2002, the 100 best selling products achieved a total turnover of 420 million Euros.2 This high level of popularity means, among other things, that we ought to ensure that no harm is done. Even though the media frequently try to persuade us otherwise, not all herbal medicines are free of adverse effects (table 1).2–5 Phytopharmacovigilance—that is, the systematic research of the safety of herbal medicines—has therefore become an important topic. In this article, I will briefly outline some …