Products
Medicinal teas are available in pharmacies and drugstores as finished medicines or home-made. They belong to the group of herbal medicines (phytopharmaceuticals).
Definition and properties
Medicinal teas consist of usually dried, cut, or whole plant parts, which may come from one or more plants. These are referred to as medicinal drugs. Medicinal teas are more strictly regulated than teas from the tea plant, such as black tea and green tea, as well as herbal teas and fruit teas, which are intended beverages and are legally considered foods. In practice, there is a lot of overlap. The quality of medicinal teas is prescribed by the pharmacopoeia, for example, regarding the concentration of ingredients, and they are registered as medicinal products. The pharmacopoeia speaks of medicinal drugs, herbal drugs, and herbal drugs for tea preparation, among others. Examples:
- Valerian
- Bearberry
- Birch
- Nettle
- Goldenrod
- St. John’s wort
- Chamomile
- Lavender
- Mallow
- Passionflower
- Peppermint
- Sage
- Senna
- Sweet wood
- Thyme
- Hawthorn
- Wormwood
Ingredients
Plant constituents include, for example, mucilages, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, bitter compounds, essential oils and isoprenoids.
Effects
Teas exert numerous pharmacological effects as medicines. For example, they are effective as laxatives, sedatives, antidepressants, carminatives, bitters, expectorants, anti-infectives, and analgesics. Their effects are based on the primary and secondary constituents of the plants, which interact with drug targets in the organism.
Fields of application
Medicinal teas are drunk as herbal remedies (phytopharmaceuticals) with the aim of preventing and treating diseases. Typical areas of application are:
- Cold, flu, cough
- Restlessness, nervousness
- Sleep disturbances
- Cystitis
- Benign prostate enlargement
- Indigestion, flatulence, diarrhea, constipation.
- Mild depressive mood
- Mild heart failure
Dosage
According to the package leaflet. Medicinal teas are usually prepared from infusion, ie infused for about 3 to 10 minutes. Subsequently, the bag is removed or strained. For some, a decoction (decoction) or cold extract (macerate) is required.
Contraindications
Not all medicinal teas are suitable for all patients. Therefore, pharmaceutical advice is required.
Interactions
Teas can also cause drug-drug interactions. The best-known example in this regard is St. John’s wort, which is an inducer of CYP450 and P-glycoprotein and can reverse the effects of other drugs. Black tea should not be taken with some drugs, for example, morphine drops. Laxatives may cause potassium deficiency, which increases susceptibility to cardiac arrhythmias.
Adverse effects
Teas are usually well tolerated, but like other drugs, they can cause adverse effects because of the active ingredients. The spectrum of side effects depend on the type of tea.
