TURKISH JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES, cilt.52, sa.5, ss.1425-1447, 2022 (SCI-Expanded)
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an idiopathic, chronic inflammatory disease
with multiple genetic and a variety of environmental risk factors.
Although current drugs significantly aid in controlling the disease,
many people have led to the application of complementary therapies due
to the common belief that they are natural and safe, as well as due to
the consideration of the side effect of current drugs. Curcumin,
cannabinoids, wheatgrass, Boswellia, wormwood and Aloe vera are among
the most commonly used complementary medicines in UC. However, these
treatments may have adverse and toxic effects due to unintended
interactions with drugs or drugmetabolizing enzymes such as cytochrome
P450s; thus, being ignorant of these interactions might cause
deleterious effects with severe consequences. In addition, the lack of
complete and controlled long-term studies with the use of these
complementary medicines regarding drug metabolism pose additional risk
and unsafety. Thus, this review aims to give an overview of the
potential interactions of drug-metabolizing enzymes with the
complementary botanical medicines used in UC, drawing attention to
possible adverse effects.