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Herb-Drug Interactions
2024-12-20 - 2024-12
The possibilities of drug interactions, direct toxicities, and contamination with active pharmaceutical agents are among the safety concerns about dietary and herbal supplements. Although there is a widespread public perception that herbs and botanical products in dietary supplements are safe, research has demonstrated that these products carry the same dangers as other pharmacologically active compounds. Interactions may occur between prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, dietary supplements, and even small molecules in food—making it a daunting challenge to identify all interactions that are of clinical concern.
Concerns about herb-drug interactions are often not based on rigorous research. Most herb-drug interactions identified in current sources are hypothetical, inferred from animal studies or cellular assays, or based on other indirect means; however, attention to this issue is needed for drugs with a narrow therapeutic index, such as cancer chemotherapeutic agents, warfarin, and digoxin.
To date, well-designed clinical studies evaluating herbal supplement–drug interactions are limited and sometimes inconclusive. This issue of the Digest provides information about several herbs and their potential interactions with other agents.
2024 World Conference on Traditional Medicine
2024-12-04 - 2024-12
The 2024 World Conference on Traditional Medicine will be co-sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the National Health Commission of China, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NATCM), and the Beijing Municipal Government. The event will take place in Beijing, China, from 3 to 4 December 2024 and will serve as an opportunity to improve global access to traditional and complementary medicine and its integration into healthcare systems worldwide.
Diversity, Inheritance and Innovation: Traditional Medicine for All
The conference will be a pivotal platform to enhance dialogue and collaboration among international experts, policy-makers, health workers, and traditional medicine practitioners. It will help advance progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 3 on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all. Discussions will also align with the Global Strategy for Traditional Medicine (2025–2034), which WHO will present at the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly in May 2025.
Objectives
The conference will focus on several key objectives:
Ensuring safe, effective, and people-centered traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine practices are accessible to communities globally.
Engaging stakeholders, policy-makers, and researchers to explore synergies between traditional medicine and modern healthcare systems, contributing to a One Health approach.
Enhancing the integration of evidence-based traditional medicine into national healthcare frameworks as affirmed by the UN Political Declaration on Universal Health Coverage.
The two-day event will include a series of panel discussions and sessions covering diverse topics such as evidence-based traditional medicine, advanced technologies, AI applications in traditional medicine research, and the standardization and safety of herbal medicines. Keynote speakers will address critical issues related to regulation, integrative medicine, and the role of traditional medicine in primary healthcare.
A Global Gathering for Health Leaders
With representatives from all WHO regions, the conference will gather governmental health leaders, Nobel laureates, health workers, researchers, and public health officials. Participants will engage in collaborative discussions aimed at shaping the future of traditional medicine and its contribution to the highest attainable standard of health and well-being for all communities.
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