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Recent Advances in Plant Biotechnology pp 347–361Cite as

Risks Involved in the Use of Herbal Products

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Abstract

The use of different herbal products can involve several kinds of risks that include improper labeling or failure to provide the correct constituents; inadequate testing of the herbal product in clinical trials; failure to provide the stated amounts of active constituents; contraindications between known herbs and synthetic prescription drugs used to treat the same disease; overdosing or underdosing; contamination of herbal preparations with pathogens, pesticides, and heavy metals; expired shelf life; and problems with formulations that render them ineffective (e.g., ineffective dried preps in capsules versus effective formulations taken as tinctures). In this chapter, we shall address many of these issues. They are basically issues of quality control that involve the latest advances in plantbiotechnology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0646, USA

    Peter B. Kaufman & Ara Kirakosyan

  2. De1nali BioTechnologies, L.L.C., 35555 Spur Highway, PMB 321, Soldotna, Alaska 99669, USA, Query

    Maureen McKenzie

Authors
  1. Peter B. Kaufman
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  2. Maureen McKenzie
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  3. Ara Kirakosyan
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Correspondence to Peter B. Kaufman .

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Kaufman, P.B., McKenzie, M., Kirakosyan, A. (2009). Risks Involved in the Use of Herbal Products. In: Recent Advances in Plant Biotechnology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0194-1_14

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