Coordinating knowledge and research around botanical supplements

Coordinating knowledge and research around botanical supplements

Botanical-drug interactions have been characterized in several ways, including the mechanisms by which a botanical may alter a coadministered drug, the specific herb-drug pairings with the strongest documented hazards, and the patient populations most at risk. But the larger problem with botanical-drug interactions is poor communication, as regulatory labeling rarely goes beyond instructing a patient to consult a healthcare provider. Providers may not ask direct questions about botanical supplement use, patients often do not volunteer information unprompted, and centralized databases of botanicaldrug interaction potential are not easily accessible. The question then becomes how to make botanical-drug interactions easier to understand and discuss in practice. Dr Erin C Berthold from Planted in Science Consulting LLC shares some of the challenges that arise with the increasing use of botanical supplements, and the need to build a transparent knowledge network to support patient safety, awareness and research.