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Phytotherapy: Instructions Differences between synthetic drugs and phytocomplexes Relationship between formal medicine and phytotherapy Why plants have an effect on man Methods of administration Pharmaceutical forms derived from plants: dry - fresh Quality criteriaTitration and standardizing Labeling Our advice

Phytotherapy: Instructions

Phytotherapy (phytomedicine, according to the World Health Organization definition) is a discipline that deals with the use of plant-based remedies for health benefit, curing and preventing illness through the administration of plant-based drugs.

According to the WHO, products considered phytomedicine are refined medicinal products, labeled, whose principle active ingredients are solely plants or plant derivatives at the initial stages of preparation. Juices, gums, lipid fractions, essential oils, and all other similar substances are included.
Phytomedicine can also contain excipients beyond the active ingredients.

Because current legislation considers phytomedicines as drugs, their sale can be authorized only if:

Safety and efficacy have been proven

Manufacturing complies with good quality standards

Packaging and labeling respect current CEE regulations

Prescription and distribution responsibilities are given to qualified health professionals (doctors and pharmacists). The number of people who want to treat themselves with herbs and their derivates has been increasing over the last few years, creating much confusion in this sector; to promote the correct use of phytotherapy remedies we think it useful to provide some general information.
 

Differences and relationships between synthetic drugs and phytocomplexes

A phytocomplex is the combination of all of the substances present in a plant-based drug, which are together responsible for the plant's therapeutic effects. Both synthetic drugs and phytocomplexes can exercise beneficial actions or cause side effects, but the possible toxicity in plant-based drugs is mild (in the part of the plant utilized for medicinal purposes) due to the presence of inert substances and substances that regulate pharmacological activity, besides the principle active components. Plant-based drugs also have another advantage over synthetic drugs: not only are they less toxic, but thanks to the high number of substances present within the phytocomplex, numerous pharmacological actions are performed so that with only one remedy various pathologies/problems can be treated.
In the more generally therapeutic area, we can apply the use of medicinal plants to various areas.
For prevention, phytotherapy can be a valid tool as its low toxicity allows it to be used in long-term therapy.
In other cases, phytotherapy is presented as a sufficient and adequate alternative to synthetic medicine. Moreover, plants can be a compliment to synthetic medicines which, in this case, represent the preeminent pharmaceutical form.
The differences between drugs and phytocomplexes wrongly leads to the idea that phytotherapy is an alternative to so-called formal medicine.
 

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Relationship between formal medicine and phytotherapy

Phytotherapy is part of formal medicine and is not defined as "alternative". Alternative medicine includes disciplines based on forms of therapy which are different from those considered by formal medicine such as acupuncture, iridology, chromotherapy, crystal therapy, homotoxicology, music therapy and others. Homeopathy is often confused with phytotherapy because both utilize plant-based drugs.

According to the principle "similia similibus curantur" (those that are similar cure the same), illness is not blocked, but the effects of the illness are reproduced by administering infinitely small doses of the substances that are responsible for a group of symptoms. The phytotherapeutic product does not undergo infinite dilutions but retains the initial characteristics, with a concentration of active ingredients adequate to obtain an effective therapy. World health authorities, through the WHO (World Health Organization), are confronting the problem of medicinal plants, selecting those that are truly active, regulating sector norms, and promoting the therapeutic use on a more scientific base.
Some organizations have been started in Europe (which are often commissions created within the Health Ministry) that are composed of subject experts with the aim of promoting and coordinating scientific research of medicinal plants. ESCOP (European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy), an important organization made up of experts from various states, provides scientific information about medicinal plants; it also has the task of harmonizing legal aspects at the european level.
 

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Why plants have an effect on man

Only in the second half of the 20th century have we succeeded in finding a scientific explanation for this phenomenon: the active ingredients in plants affect man because they mimic messages typical of the organism.
Leroith and Roth's "unification of cellular communications" theory provides an explanation as to why human cells recognize chemical messages from the animal and plant world. According to this theory, many endogenous messages found in man are also present in lower organisms (as many experimental observations have shown). Because evolution is an extremely economical process, many substances which served as messengers in simple organisms have retained their structure even though their communicative function has changed.

Unicellular organisms have some substances in common with their plant and animal descendants; this is also the reason why substances present in plants and lower animals find suitable receptors in man. The receptor is a specialized cellular zone that recognizes the drug and establishes a reversible and highly specific link with it. From the physiologic standpoint, the receptors are capable of acknowledging messages sent within the organism by physiologic messengers.
Nature represents an inexhaustible and only partially explored source of biologically active substances and the explanation lies in the fact that human cells understand "messages" from plants and inferior animals.
 

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Methods of administration

Drugs can be administered as powder in the form of tablets or capsules, or in the form of extractive material to be used in other pharmaceutical preparations. Oral administration is generally used, therefore the active ingredients present in phytotherapic remedies must be bioavailable, meaning one or more of the following:

absorbed through stomach and intestine

transmitted to the liver, where they can be modified

introduced into the bloodstream to be distributed to various parts of the body

eliminated

This complicated process is influenced by different factors:

the chemical nature of the active ingredient (the higher its level of solubility in fats, the better it is absorbed)

the transformation grade at the liver level

the type of distribution (in free form or linked to plasma proteins)

the elimination process (through urine or feces)

The various pharmaceutical forms can come from dry or fresh plants. In some cases, according to the process used to obtain various pharmaceutical formulations, only some of the active ingredients are extracted, as opposed to other processes which obtain different pharmacological reactions. Because of the number of active ingredients present in a phytocomplex, the same plant can perform different pharmacological functions according to the form in which it is consumed.

One last observation:

Among various pharmaceutical forms, a high quantity of active ingredients is present in the extract due to the extractive process. It is clear that carefully choosing the correct pharmaceutical form is important if we want to reach the desired effect.
 

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Pharmaceutical forms derived
from dried plants

Infusions

Medicinal plants are dried and cut into small pieces that are prepared as decoctions (the dry pieces are placed in cold water which is brought to boiling) or infusions (pouring boiling water over the dry pieces). Infusions are cooled gradually at room temperature. Because of the high dilution of phytocomplex infusions, they have limited therapeutic effects.

Powders

Powders are obtained by grinding dry drugs and are classified as:

very coarse

coarse

semi-fine

fine

very fine

The concentration of active ingredients in powders is low with limited therapeutic effectiveness; they contain all of the components of the plant-based drug, including those which have no therapeutic advantages.

Dyes

Dyes are obtained by using alcohol to extract active ingredients from dry drugs. They have some inconvenient aspects: they cannot be used by subjects who are intolerant to alcohol, they cannot be diluted in water (because of the precipitation of the active ingredients), and they have poor palatability.

Fluid extracts

Fluid extracts are the most concentrated form among liquid preparations and can be used alone or as ingredients for preparations of potions, syrups, etc. They are obtained by soaking dried plants in a solvent, usually ethyl alcohol or glycerin, for a variable period, depending on the plant. Hydro-alcoholic and alcoholic fluid extracts are the most common. Alcohol is substituted by glycerin in hydro-glycerin extracts.

Dry extracts

Dry extracts are prepared using appropriate techniques in mild temperatures, by evaporating the solvent of a fluid extract to obtain a very fine powder with a high concentration of phytocomplex. With titration, it is possible to measure precisely the content of one or more active ingredients present in the phytocomplex. For the product to have an adequate therapeutic effect, the active ingredient content should not be inferior to the minimum level established by Official Pharmacopeia or, in its absence, by other important scientific studies. Dry extracts contain a combination of all active ingredients found in a plant, without the support material that is pharmacologically inert. For this reason it is highly bioavailable and easy absorbable by the digestive system.
 

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Pharmaceutical forms derived
from fresh plants

Juices

Juices are prepared by breaking up and mechanically pressing fresh drugs. Using modern technology, all organic and inorganic components of the plant are maintained in juices.

Mother dye

Mother dye is prepared by marinating fresh plant material in ethyl alcohol, following the directions of French or German Pharmacopea.

Glycerin marinates

Glycerin marinate is made following French pharmacopea instructions, marinating buds and young sprouts in a mixture of water, alcohol and glycerin. Because only fresh young parts of plant are used, the phytocomplex is more complete, but titration is obstructed by the high dilution which reduces the efficacy.

Essential oils

Essential oils are present in some plants (for example lavender, sage, rosemary, eucalyptus) which usually give off a strong but pleasant odor. They contain compounds with marked medical effects are found in high concentrations which, if not used correctly, can cause side effects, at times serious. For this reason, essential oils must be used only under a doctor's supervision.
 

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Quality criteria in phytotherapy

Medical plants, as products of nature, whether cultivated and spontaneously grown, are subject to the effects of climatic and meteorological conditions, pollution, and the use of pesticides and herbicides in cultivation. It is very important to control all of the phases of plant growth, especially for the pharmaceutical developers who buy plants to obtain extracts, respecting the parameters outlined by Pharmacopea for the following pollutants and contaminants:

battery fluids

radioactivity

pesticides

heavy metals

aflatoxins
 

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Phytotherapic remedies: Titration and Standardization

Titration determines with absolute precision the most important active ingredient and its concentration present in the phytocomplex, thanks to advanced technological procedures. At the moment, only dry extracts and essential oils can be titrated. Being highly concentrated, the content of active ingredients is sufficiently high that they can reach the standards fixed by pharmacopoeia and international scientific studies. The validity of the therapy is compromised if the quantity of the most important active ingredient is below or above the limit requested by Pharmacopeia. A titrated extract assures optimal efficacy and avoids the so-called paradox effect: when a phytocomplex manifests results opposite to those expected for a certain plant, which can happen when titration is not in accordance with Pharmacopeia. Thanks to titration, it is possible obtain a standardization of phytotherapy remedies, involving:

the quantity of active ingredient stated in a manner that is constant for each product

forms of cultivation and harvesting

drugs identification

control of the absence of pesticides, heavy metals, and radionuclides

extraction methods, concentration and drying processes, quality controls, including the digital printing of the extract, content of active ingredient, extract stability

Officinal plants of the same species, apparently similar, can differ in the content of specific components due to various factors (genetic variation in the species, climate, type of soil and availability of nutrients, harvest time and plant age, drying and conservation method) therefore producing different therapeutic effects. Phytotherapic standardization is therefore of fundamental importance, allowing the preparation of phytomedicine with a constant active ingredient content, leading to an accurate prescription and safe and effective use.
 

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Labeling

Some important elements are indicated on the label which are important to consider before buying a phytotherapic remedy.

Composition

Lists the active ingredients of the phytotherapic product, indicated as pharmaceutical forms (powders, infusions, dry extracts, mother dyes, glycerin marinates). Excipients are listed as well, even though they perform no pharmacological functions.

Titration

For products with origin from dry extracts, the label must show the titration, or rather the quantity, in a minimum percentage, of the most important active ingredient found in phytocomplex.

Expiration date

Phytotherapic products, just as medicines, supplements, and foods, must always display an expiration date.
 

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Our advice

Phytotherapy can cure many problems using extracts from medicinal plants, but these remedies should always be taken under the supervision of a doctor or pharmacist who can suggest the appropriate therapy and help avoid possible side effects.

Side effects are often encountered when a "natural product" causes a reaction with a therapy that the patient is already taking: intoxication from abuse, damage caused by incorrect prescriptions, intoxication from polluted or contaminated products, wrong self-medication, allergies and intolerances.

Many plant-based drugs are to be avoided by the following (among others):

subjects with serious liver problems

subjects suffering from arterial hypertension

subjects with a tendency to hemorrhage or taking anticoagulants

children

At Marchetti's Pharmacy you can find qualified staff and many products from all of the most important companies in the sector. You can, as well, address any inquires to our laboratory which is equipped to satisfy every request.

For any information or personalized advice, please visit or call us.
 

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