Herbal Supplements

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh and good morning to my respected

lecturer,Madam Zahrah,my dear colleagues,ladies and gentlemen.

Today i would like to speech over herbal supplement at this special occasion.First of all i
would like to say thanks to Madam Zahrah for giving me such a big opportunity to deliver my
precious speech on herbal supplement.

What is herbal? What is supplement? According to Oxford herbal is something made from
herbs, especially those used in cooking and medicine.While supplement means something added
to something else in order to complete or enhance it.

It is hard to imagine a time when we did not have an optimum health even only for a day in our
entire life.Eventhough,many of us rely only on our daily variety meals whether it is healthy or
not.Consuming herbal supplement may be both a good idea or it can be a terrible idea.

In order to keep the body at optimum level, we need to take the necessary steps to

maintain our health as well as preventing any kind of diseases. It is important to adopt a

healthy and lifestyle—by eating nutritious food and consuming natural health products
such as herbal supplement.

Maintaining your health with the use of herbal and natural elements is the first step
to support your well-being. Aside from promoting general health, with lesser
possibilities of allergic reactions, these herbal and natural health products come with
a slightly lower price tag than their pharmaceutical counterparts, thereby keeping your
health at its best without hurting your budget.

For an example GINGER The botanical name is Zingiber officinale and it belongs to
family Zingiberaceae, the ginger family. Ginger is an herb; its rhizome (underground
stem) is used as a spice and also as a medicine. It can be used fresh, dried and
powdered, or as a juice or oil. Benefits Ginger is commonly used to treat various types
of “stomach problems,” including motion sickness, morning sickness, colic, upset
stomach, gas, diarrhoea, nausea caused by cancer treatment, nausea and vomiting after
surgery, as well as loss of appetite. Other uses include pain relief from arthritis or
muscle soreness, menstrual pain, upper respiratory tract infections, cough, and
bronchitis. Ginger is also sometimes used for chest pain, low back pain, and stomach
pain. In foods and beverages, ginger is used as a flavouring agent. Risks Heartburn or
stomach distress can occur if taken in large quantities. Ginger reinforces warfarin action
by heterogeneous mechanisms. It should thus not be used in patients on oral
anticoagulant and/or antiplatelet therapy. Ginger may increase the risk of bleeding or
potentiate the effects of warfarin therapy4 . This study investigated the effect of ginger,
a common morning sickness remedy, on foetal development. Pregnant Sprague-
Dawley rats were administered, from gestation day 6 to 15; 20 g/L or 50 g/L ginger
tea via their drinking water and then sacrificed19. No maternal toxicity was observed,
however embryonic loss in the treatment groups was double that of the controls
(P<0.05). No gross morphologic malformations were seen in the treated foetuses.
Foetuses exposed to ginger tea were found to be significantly heavier than controls,
an effect that was greater in female foetuses and was not correlated with increased
placental size. Treated foetuses also had more advanced skeletal development as
determined by measurement of sternal and metacarpal ossification centres. The results
of this study suggested that in utero exposure to ginger tea results in increased early
embryo loss with increased growth in surviving foetuses 35. Ginger may help to lessen
nausea due to chemotherapy drugs and anaesthesia 3 .
3. What are natural health products?
Natural health products are supplements obtained from nature. These are made from
various ingredients like vitamins and minerals as well as extracts taken from roots,
leaves, seeds and flowers of different plants. These products are essential to the body
because they help treat and prevent various ailments and conditions. Unlike chemical-
based drugs, herbal and natural supplements are free from harmful radicals that can
trigger side effects; hence, providing only the best and safest ingredients for the health
of the body.

4. Benefits of Using Natural Health Products

Today people are becoming more aware of the advantages of using natural health
products. Apart from it being a cost-efficient solution to maintain and attain healthier
body, the products made from herbal and natural ingredients offer a myriad of benefits
compared to those made from chemical and artificial ingredients. Many people believe
that herbal products are safe since they are labeled as natural and are legally sold.
However, some herbal supplements can cause health issues. Also, herbal products are
not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) like over-the-counter and
prescription drugs. Products labeled as natural does not always mean safe when it
comes to herbal supplements.

5. Herbal Supplement Use

According to the National Institute of Health, more than half of all Americans take
dietary supplements on a daily basis or on occasion (NIH, 2013). Currently, there are
over 1,000 companies producing over 29,000 different herbal supplements (Newmaster
et al., 2013). These herbal supplements are marketed and taken for a variety of reasons.
For example, Echinacea is taken for colds, flu, and other infections; ephedra is taken
for colds, fever, flu, headaches, asthma, wheezing, nasal congestion, weight loss, and
increased energy; garlic is taken for increased cholesterol, heart disease, high blood
pressure, and prevention of certain types of cancer; kava is taken for insomnia, to fight
fatigue, asthma, urinary tract infections, anxiety, menopausal symptoms and is used
topically as a numbing agent; and St. John’s wort is taken for depression (USDA’s
National Agriculture Library, 2013). The question remains if these supplements are safe
(not to mention effective).
Over-the-counter and prescription drugs are highly regulated in the United States.
Many people are under the assumption that herbal supplements are regulated in the
same manner. Herbal supplements are regulated by the FDA. However, they fall under
a category other than drugs or foods. They are regulated as dietary supplements.

6. CONCLUSION

It is concluded that adverse effects of herbal medicines as well as their interactions

with other prescription drugs should be known to the consumers and physicians.
Herbal remedies under conventional therapy are known to show many benefits to
humans, which is true but one should be fully familiar with their side effects at normal
and large doses. This paper had highlighted uses and adverse effects of selected eleven
above mentioned herbal drugs. One should also consider other herbal products for
the possible risks while using in cure and treatments, thank you.

REFERENCES
1. Stickel F, Patsenker E & Schppan D, Herbal hepatotoxicity, J Hepatol 2005; 43:901-910. 2. Yang HN, Kim DJ, Kim YM, Kim
BH, Sohn KM, et al., Aloe- induced toxic hepatitis, J Korean Med Sci 2010; 25(3):492-495.

3. Murray M, the Pill Book Guide to Natural Medicines: Vitamins, Minerals, Nutritional Supplements, Herbs, and Other Natural
Products, Bantam 2002; 528- 529.