Phytosurveillance: evaluation of interactions and adverse reactions of herbal medicines on the market

Introduction: The use of medicinal plants as active plant pharmaceutical ingredients (APPIs) as well as the use of herbal medicines and their associations with other herbal medicines and synthetic active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) can result in interactions that affect the efficacy and safe use of these. The main means of reporting adverse drug reactions (ADR) is voluntary, which makes the identification and monitoring of these ADRs difficult and portrays the importance of pharmacovigilance in our country, highlighting the need to strengthen the culture of reporting adverse drug events (ADE). Objective: To analyze the occurrence of ADR related to the simultaneous use of five herbal medicines with other synthetics, describing possible synthetic APPI-API interactions. Method: Aliterature search was carried out on synthetic APPI-API interactions and their notifications of ADR by the main pharmacovigilance systems in the world. Results: The main interaction mechanisms between synthetic APPI-API involve the metabolism by enzymes of the CYP450 family or the action of efflux transporters such as P-gp. In addition, a large part of phytotherapeutic AEM may not be being notified, generating possible underreporting of this information in the world. Conclusions: On ADR containing APPI from Ginkgo biloba, Hypericum perforatum, Matricaria recutita, Allium sativum and Zingiber officinale, 7,571 were reported worldwide, classified by continent, in the period 1971 to August 2021, as well as the list of plant species on the list of RENISUS that have reported effects on CYP enzymes (1A2, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6 and 3A4), levels of GSH, UGT and P-gp activity.