ArticleBMC complementary medicine and therapies2020
Microbial contamination in herbal medicines: a serious health hazard to elderly consumers.
Article in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers.
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Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 112 citations in OpenAlex.
- Biosynthesis of ecofriendly antibacterial nanoparticles with healing effects in a murine diabetic skin infection model.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Use of Traditional Herbal Medicines during Pregnancy in Rwanda: Perspectives from Community Health Workers and Traditional Healers.Rwanda journal of medicine and health sciences · 2025Article
- Microbiological Contamination of Medicinal Products -Is It a Significant Problem?Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Detection and characterization of pathogenic Bacillus haynesii from Tribulus terrestris extract: ways to reduce its levels.Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology] · 2025Article
- A Narrative Review on Plant Extracts for Metabolic Syndrome: Efficacy, Safety, and Technological Advances.Nutrients · 2025Review
- Advancing the safe motherhood initiative: A qualitative and sentiment analysis of local physician's perspectives on antibiotic self-medication during pregnancy in a low- and middle-income country.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Cultivation to consumption: strengthening bacterial safety in plant-based nutraceuticals.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Review
- Microbiological acceptance criteria, specifications of herbal drugs and herbal drug preparations in various pharmacopoeias: a global scenario.Daru : journal of Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences · 2024Review
- Article
- Microbial and heavy metal contamination in herbal medicine: a prospective study in the central region of Saudi Arabia.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2024Article
- Microbial Contamination of Herbal Medicines in Africa, 2000-2024: A Systematic Review.Environmental health insights · 2024Review
- Safety profile of herbal medicines submitted for marketing authorization in Tanzania: a cross-sectional retrospective study.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2023Article
- Contamination of herbal medicinal products in low-and-middle-income countries: A systematic review.Heliyon · 2023Review
- Techno-Functional Properties of Burgers Fortified by Wild Garlic Extract: A Reconsideration.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Article
- Herbal Decoctions for the Levels of Sulfur Dioxide, Benzopyrene, and Mycotoxin from Traditional Korean Medicine Clinics: A Preliminary Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Analysis of Fungal Microbiomes in Edible Medicinal Morindae Officinalis Radix and Alpiniae Oxyphyllae Fructus Using DNA Metabarcoding.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Approaches for the Elimination of Microbial Contaminants fromAdvances in pharmacological and pharmaceutical sciences · 2022Article
- Microbial Contamination of Herbal Preparations on the Ghanaian Market, Accra.Microbiology insights · 2022Article
- African Herbal Medicines: Adverse Effects and Cytotoxic Potentials with Different Therapeutic Applications.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThe use of herbal medicine is on the rise worldwide, and safety issues associated with herbal medicines may have an exacerbated impact in elderly because this population has an increased susceptibility and sensitivity to health complications due to the aging process.
methodsThis cross-sectional study was carried out at a primary health care unit in the city of Macapa, Brazil. The herbal medicines used and the sociodemographic characteristics of 123 voluntarily consenting participants were collected using a structured questionnaire. A total of 132 herbal medicines with oral or topical administration were donated by the elderly for microbial analysis before consumption, and 18 water samples used in the preparation of homemade herbal medicines were collected. Bacterial and fungal counts and identification of bacterial pathogens (Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus) were performed according to the regulations of the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia and World Health Organization. Water analysis for the detection of coliforms and E. coli was carried out using Colilert® according to the manufacturer's instructions and the techniques established by Standard Methods.
resultsOf the study participants, 78.8% were women. Bacterial growth was observed in samples from 51.5% of study and 35.6% had fungal growth. A total of 31.8% of the herbal medicine samples exceeded the safety limits (CFU/g ≤ 10
conclusionsThe use of homemade and commercial herbal medicines is a major risk to the health of elderly who use these therapies due to the lack of microbial quality standards. We observed levels of viable bacteria and fungi that were above safety limits; in addition, we were able to isolate pathogenic bacteria from these herbal medicines.
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