THE SAFETY ASSESSMENT OF MEDICINAL PLANTS

The problems of safety evaluation of medicinal plants formulations in the Russian Federation, Europe and USA are presented. Safety issues of medicinal plants, as well as the adverse reactions of some herbal medicines are discussed. The main groups of exogenous (toxic metals, pesticides) and endogenous toxic substances of medicinal plants are represented. The maximum allowable concentrations of endogenous toxic substances (pyrrolizidine alkaloids, glycolic acid, azaron and other) most often defined in medicinal plants are given. The authors substantiate the necessity of tightening of the requirements for normative documents, which ensure the safety of medicinal plants.