FARMACOVIGILÂNCIA DE PLANTAS MEDICINAIS E FITOTERÁPICOS NO BRASIL: UMA BREVE REVISÃO

Nowadays consumption of herbal medicines has been increasing worldwide.This uncontrolled use can present a serious risk to the health of the population because medicinal plants and herbal medicines represent complex mixtures of substances that can often interact with others and have an adverse effect. This work intends to emphasize the importance of the pharmacovigilance of medicinal plants and herbal medicines in Brazil, in order to decrease the threat that the adverse effects and drug interactions have on the population and to contribute to the rational and correct decision making by health professionals working in this area. Pharmacovigilance of medicinal plants and herbal medicines in Brazil is still in its infancy. This fact can be explained by deficiency in the training of health professionals, the belief in innocuous natural medicinal plants and herbal medicines and self-medication.