Phytopharmaceuticals – herbal medicinal products.
The term phytopharmaceuticals (singular phytopharmacon) is derived from the Greek terms for plant and for drug. In very general terms, then, it refers to herbal medicines. This refers, for example, to dried plant parts, also called medicinal drugs, such as leaves, flowers, barks or roots. These are often prepared as medicinal teas, such as orange blossoms with hot water as a sedative.
Phytopharmaceuticals are mixtures of many substances.
Unlike chemically defined medicines, which usually contain only one or a few active ingredients, phytopharmaceuticals are multisubstance mixtures consisting of hundreds of different substances. Of these, some are considered pharmacologically active and others inactive. The efficacy results from the complex interaction of the ingredients with molecular targets, e.g. receptors, enzymes and transporters. Herbal medicine also formed the origin of conventional medicine. Up to 70% of the drugs are derived from natural substances. Many classical active ingredients such as the painkiller morphine, the cardiac glycoside digoxin, and the anticholinergic atropine originate from plants. However, such pure substances are not counted as phytopharmaceuticals today.
The extract as active ingredient
Because phytopharmaceuticals are natural products – like coffee, wine, or cocoa – their quality depends on many factors. For example, on the plant variety, the growing climate, the time of harvest, drying and further processing. It is therefore possible that the ingredients responsible for the effect are present in two teas in very different concentrations. For this reason, today extracts (extracts) are increasingly produced that are adjusted to the essential substances – i.e. always contain defined amounts of the substances. In the process, undesirable substances that cause side effects can also be removed. Extracts from different manufacturers are therefore only comparable with each other to a limited extent. Various dosage forms such as tablets, drops or ointments are produced from the extracts.
Phytopharmaceuticals are not homeopathics!
Phytopharmaceuticals contain active pharmaceutical ingredients that interact with structures in the organism called drug targets. They therefore differ substantially from homeopathic remedies, which are so highly diluted that almost or none of the original substance is present. Homeopathy, unlike phytotherapy, has no scientific basis. Its principle of action is fundamentally opposed to that of modern drug therapy.
Rational phytotherapy
The highest demands are made on rational phytopharmaceuticals. Their efficacy and safety are verified in double-blind, randomized and controlled clinical trials. Thus, they are developed and scientifically tested like conventional medicines. This is in contrast to traditional phytopharmaceuticals, whose use is primarily based on experience, for example, the use of tanning black tea for diarrhea. Typical examples of rational phytopharmaceuticals:
- St. John’s wort for the treatment of depressive moods.
- Butterbur against hay fever
- Ginkgo for the treatment of losses in mental performance
- Black cohosh for the treatment of menopausal symptoms.
- Hawthorn for the treatment of heart complaints
- Valerian and hops for the treatment of sleep disorders
Good tolerability
Basically, phytopharmaceuticals have the same risks as all drugs – there is a potential for adverse effects, contraindications exist and drug-drug interactions are possible. However, they are generally well tolerated and have a wide therapeutic range. They are often less risky than synthetic chemical drugs. Phytopharmaceuticals are therefore well suited for simple and chronic complaints and, due to the rather low interaction potential, can also be used well in elderly people with multiple prescriptions.
