AUTHOR=Choi Dain , Im Hyea Bin , Choi Soo Jeung , Han Dongwoon 

TITLE=Safety classification of herbal medicine use among hypertensive patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology

VOLUME=Volume 15 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2024.1321523

DOI=10.3389/fphar.2024.1321523

ISSN=1663-9812

ABSTRACT=Background: The use of herbal medicines (HM) for the treatment of hypertension (HTN) is increasing globally, but research on the potential adverse effects and safety of HM in HTN patients is limited. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aim to determine the global prevalence of HM usage among HTN patients and assess the safety of identified herbs based on current scientific evidence.Methods: PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE (Ovid), and CINAHL databases were searched for cross-sectional studies on the use of HM among HTN patients, and our review included studies published in English up to the year 2023. After extracting and appraising the data from the studies, a meta-analysis was conducted using the Stata version 16.0 to estimate the pooled prevalence of HM use in patients with HTN (PROSPERO: CRD42023405537). Furthermore, the safety classification of the identified HM was done based on existing scientific literature.This study analyzed 37 cross-sectional studies from 21 countries and found that 37.8% of HTN patients used HM to manage their health. The prevalence of HM use varied significantly based on publication year and geographical region. Among the 71 identified herbs, Allium sativum L., Hibiscus sabdariffa L., and Olea europaea L. were the most commonly used.However, four herbs were identified as contraindicated, 50 herbs required caution, and only 11 herbs were considered safe for use.The study highlights the potential risks of toxicities and adverse effects associated with HM use in the treatment of HTN. Ensuring patient safety involves only using safe HM in appropriate doses and avoiding contraindicated HM. Future research should focus on