No Free Lunch With Herbal Preparations: Lessons From a Case of Parkinsonism and Depression Due to Herbal Medicine Containing Reserpine

Frontiers in Neurology

Michel Rijntjes¹  Philipp T. Meyer² 

[1] Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany;Department of Nuclear Medicine, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany;

关键词: Parkinson;    depression;    reserpine;    VMAT;    ayurvedic;    Rauwolfia;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fneur.2019.00634

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The increasing use of herbal medicines calls for a heightened awareness of their potential side-effects. This especially pertains to western countries, where patients tend to use herbal medicine as self-medication, often alongside regular prescriptions, and physicians have less experience with their application. Here we report a case in which Parkinsonism, depression, and an atypical finding detected by dopamine transporter single-photon emission computed tomography were all belatedly recognized as side-effects of herbal medicine. This only occurred because one of its active ingredients, reserpine, has been extensively studied. For most other herbal medicines, however, knowledge about side-effects remains scarce or unavailable. Therefore, we suggest that physicians, when taking a medication history, should actively ask for the use of any herbal preparations.

【 授权许可】

Unknown