Pharmacognosy in Community Pharmacy: Pharmacovigilance Prospective of Herbal Medicine

Abstract

A recent report suggests global market for medicinal plants is around $60 billion growing at a brisk pace of seven to eleven percent annually. Out of the annual consumption of raw drugs, 50 per cent are from roots, 15 per cent from fruits/seeds, 12 per cent from wood, 9 per cent from whole plants, 7 per cent from bark/stem, 4 per cent from leaves and 3 per cent from flowers. Termed as CAM (Complimentary and Alternative Medicine) herbal medicine have long been considered safe alternative for modern medicine. Recent development in research in herbal medicine has necessitated the efforts to further explore safety aspects of Herbal medicine. Pharmacovigilance of herbal medicine is now an issue to be given ample attention. FDA across the word has tightened their noose on safety issues of herbal medicine.