About this Research Topic
For centuries, the traditional use of medicinal plants, their derivatives and metals has been an integral part of healthcare systems all over the world. Despite their widespread use and the widely held belief that "natural equals safe," there is growing recognition that classical remedies pose health risks.
The intersection of ethnopharmacology and modern medicine necessitates a rigorous scientific examination to ensure the safety and efficacy of these treatments. Many metals applied in the traditional medicine such as mercury, sulphur and arsenic can potentially have biotransformation and cause adverse effects through bioaccumulation, oxidative stress, inflammation, genomic damages and microbiota transformations.
In this context, the need for comprehensive toxicological assessment becomes paramount as traditional medicine practices garner global interest and integration into contemporary healthcare settings. Such profiling includes systematic evaluations of the potential toxic effects and the establishment of safe dosage ranges, evaluation of their interactions with the dermal and gastrointestinal tract microbiota, and interactions with pharmaceutical drugs. This is crucial, given that the active compounds in herbs, other natural products and metals can have potent biological effects, some of which may lead to adverse outcomes if not properly understood or managed.
While humans have been consuming the traditional medicines through centuries, their mode of action and immediate adverse impact upon the human health is not fully understood. This Research Topic aims to bring together a collection of articles on the toxicological evaluation of traditional medicine using modern scientific tools such as analytical chemistry, pre-clinical, and clinical studies including molecular biology, and network pharmacology to unravel their complex interactions within the human body.
We welcome original research articles, brief research reports, reviews, methods articles, and perspectives focusing on traditional medicine and their potential toxicological evaluations, including but not limited to:
1. Elemental and phytochemical analysis of traditional medicines and their interaction with human health.
2. Innovative research discovering the toxicokinetic and toxicity profiles of the herbal and herbo-mineral traditional medicines using alternative testing methodologies like in vitro toxicity testing, omics, in silico methods, in vitro to in vivo extrapolation methods, in vivo-based toxicity evaluation and epidemiological studies.
3. Interaction of traditional medicine with dermal and gastrointestinal tract microbiota and their adverse effects on human health.
4. Knowledge gaps existing in the regulatory guidelines focused on traditional medicine and how to address them at national and international levels.
5. Impacts of various methods of preparation of herbo-mineral traditional medicines for the cure and management of different ailments.
All submissions involving extracts from plants or fungi and other natural products , must follow the best-practice assessment criteria defined as “The Four Pillars of Ethnopharmacology” to be considered for peer review. Please note, all submissions to the journal using plant extracts or preparations must also adhere to these Four Pillars to be considered for peer review, regardless of the specialty section, as a baseline standard for sample characterization. Check your MS using https://ga-online.org/best-practice/ and submit the relevant filled in check-lists
The intersection of ethnopharmacology and modern medicine necessitates a rigorous scientific examination to ensure the safety and efficacy of these treatments. Many metals applied in the traditional medicine such as mercury, sulphur and arsenic can potentially have biotransformation and cause adverse effects through bioaccumulation, oxidative stress, inflammation, genomic damages and microbiota transformations.
In this context, the need for comprehensive toxicological assessment becomes paramount as traditional medicine practices garner global interest and integration into contemporary healthcare settings. Such profiling includes systematic evaluations of the potential toxic effects and the establishment of safe dosage ranges, evaluation of their interactions with the dermal and gastrointestinal tract microbiota, and interactions with pharmaceutical drugs. This is crucial, given that the active compounds in herbs, other natural products and metals can have potent biological effects, some of which may lead to adverse outcomes if not properly understood or managed.
While humans have been consuming the traditional medicines through centuries, their mode of action and immediate adverse impact upon the human health is not fully understood. This Research Topic aims to bring together a collection of articles on the toxicological evaluation of traditional medicine using modern scientific tools such as analytical chemistry, pre-clinical, and clinical studies including molecular biology, and network pharmacology to unravel their complex interactions within the human body.
We welcome original research articles, brief research reports, reviews, methods articles, and perspectives focusing on traditional medicine and their potential toxicological evaluations, including but not limited to:
1. Elemental and phytochemical analysis of traditional medicines and their interaction with human health.
2. Innovative research discovering the toxicokinetic and toxicity profiles of the herbal and herbo-mineral traditional medicines using alternative testing methodologies like in vitro toxicity testing, omics, in silico methods, in vitro to in vivo extrapolation methods, in vivo-based toxicity evaluation and epidemiological studies.
3. Interaction of traditional medicine with dermal and gastrointestinal tract microbiota and their adverse effects on human health.
4. Knowledge gaps existing in the regulatory guidelines focused on traditional medicine and how to address them at national and international levels.
5. Impacts of various methods of preparation of herbo-mineral traditional medicines for the cure and management of different ailments.
All submissions involving extracts from plants or fungi and other natural products , must follow the best-practice assessment criteria defined as “The Four Pillars of Ethnopharmacology” to be considered for peer review. Please note, all submissions to the journal using plant extracts or preparations must also adhere to these Four Pillars to be considered for peer review, regardless of the specialty section, as a baseline standard for sample characterization. Check your MS using https://ga-online.org/best-practice/ and submit the relevant filled in check-lists
Keywords: traditional medicine, toxicology, medicinal plants
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
