Role of Natural Products in Ameliorating Drugs and Chemicals Toxicity

Herbal medicines have a long history over than 7000 years in traditional treatment, therapeutic experiences, and clinical trials including Egypt, China, and Korea. This practice is still the mainstay of about 75–80% of the world population, mainly in the developing countries, for primary health care and promotion because of better cultural acceptability, better compatibility with the human body, and lesser side effects. However, the last few years have seen a major increase in their use in the developed world. Nowadays, we can find a bipolarised market for the active ingredients: those chemically produced and mainly supported by the pharmaceutical companies and those natural constituents that are demanded by an increased number of patients. Although natural products have not been always active as supposed, some of them are scientifically recognised as therapeutically active. Indeed, it has to be noted that some drugs, still used in the current therapies, are extracted from plants. Some of these can have additive action if coadministered with synthesized drugs or ameliorate the drug toxicity.