Evaluating the Safety of Herbal Medicine on Renal Function: A Comprehensive Analysis from Six Randomized Controlled Trials Conducted with Four Formulations from Traditional Korean Medicine

• Main Authors: Jin-Yong Joung (Author), Chang-Gue Son (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2024-04-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 10.3390/ph17050544; 1424-8247
• Keywords: herb-induced renal injury; drug-induced renal injury; adverse drug reaction; nephrotoxicity; Medicine; R; Pharmacy and materia medica; RS1-441
• Source: Pharmaceuticals, Vol 17, Iss 5, p 544 (2024)

The growing popularity of herbal medicine raises concerns about potential nephrotoxicity risks, while limited evidence hinders a comprehensive impact assessment. This study aims to investigate the overall risk features of herbal medicine on kidney injury. We conducted a retrospective analysis on renal function changes, including blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), through data from six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in South Korea. A total of 407 participants (142 males, 265 females) received either one of four different herbal medicines (240 participants) or a placebo (167 participants). When comparing changes in eGFR regarding the mean, 90th-percentile value, and 20% reduction after treatment, there was no significant difference between the herbal-treated and placebo groups. This study provided a helpful reference for examining the safety issues of herbal remedies, especially regarding kidney function.