Aim To quantify and assess adverse events reported in the literature from the oral ingestion by humans of Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Turnera diffusa and Achillea millefolium.

Method A systematic literature search for human case reports and clinical trials reporting adverse events from the oral ingestion of A. uva-ursi, T. diffusa and A. millefolium was conducted. Case reports were evaluated for quality using the Quality of Case Reports of Adverse Events instrument, and for causality using the WHO-UMC instrument. Clinical trials were evaluated for adherence to the CONSORT Extensions for Herbal Medicinal Interventions and Harms.

Results Two case reports and 15 clinical trials were included for analysis. One case report and two clinical trials reported adverse events for A. millefolium, one case report and no clinical trials reported adverse events for A. uva-ursi, and no case reports and one clinical trial reported adverse events for T. diffusa. Quality and causality assessment of case reports varied, and low adherence to CONSORT Extensions for Herbal Medicinal Interventions and Harms was observed in clinical trials.

Conclusion There appears to be very limited evidence of harm in humans from the oral ingestion of A. uva-ursi, A. millefolium and T. diffusa. The quality of reporting of both case reports and clinical trials involving herbal medicines needs to be improved to better understand the complex issue of herbal safety.

Introduction The chemical characterisation and cytotoxic potential of Alstonia spectabilis R.Br. (AC) were investigated using crude bark extracts.

Methods Methanol: dimethyl sulfoxide with a ratio of 1:1 was used as the extracting solvent for the bark of AC. Chemical constituents and minerals present in the crude extract were studied using gas chromatography equipped with a mass spectrometer (GC-EI-MS) and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (EDX).

Results Based on the result obtained from EDX, the major mineral found in the crude extract was calcium (2.571%). Cell viability assay showed that the crude extract performed best against H69PR with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 6.95µg/mL, then followed by HT-29 (IC50=7.49µg/mL), MCF-7 (IC50=11.06µg/mL) and THP-1 (IC50=66.64µg/mL). Activities observed with the crude extract were correlated with the chemical constituents obtained from the GC-EI-MS data, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (6.01%), 2-methoxy-4-vinyl phenol (0.57%), Vanillin lactoside (1.53%), 2,4-bis(1,1-dimethyl ethyl)-phenol (0.77%), 4-((1E))-3-hydroxy-1-propenyl)-2-methoxy phenol (4.49%), n-hexadecanoic acid (4.18%). Octadecanoic acid (0.62%), [r-(E)]-1,Ethanol-2H-azecino94,3-b]indole-4-ethylidene-1,3,4,5,6,7-hexahydro-6-methylene (0.99%), (3β,5α,12β,19α,20R)-6,7-didehydro-2,20-cycloaspidospermidine-3-methanol (3.35%), Akummilian-17-oic acid, methyl ester (2.38%), Alstophyllan-19-one (11.00%), campesterol (1.55%), stigmasterol (1.83%), γ-sitosterol (4.60%), Lupeol (3.39%), (3β)-24-methylene-9,19-cyclolanostan-3-ol (3.18%).

Conclusion The data generated from this work linked that AC constituents could be an effective chemotherapeutic agent. There are no previous reports similar to this research.

Curcuma longa (curcumin) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that has been used in many traditional medicine systems for a long time because of its wide range of pharmacological properties and applications. Based on the traditional Chinese medicine theory, curcumin belongs to the ‘invigorate blood’ category and COVID-19 belongs to the ‘epidemic’ category. Curcumin is one of the possible candidates that could be used in the treatment of COVID-19 as it possesses anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties according to previous studies. The Chinese medicine formulation that includes curcumin, ‘Qingfei Touxie Fuzheng decoction’, was developed with this in mind. In this article, the mechanisms of C. longa L for COVID-19 will be discussed.

These abstracts are brief summaries of articles in recent issues of medical journals. Articles selected are of a general nature for the information of practitioners of naturopathy and herbal medicine. A dominant theme is often present throughout the journals, which will be reflected in the reviews.

These abstracts are brief summaries of articles which have appeared in recent issues of herbal medicine journals, some of which may be held in the NHAA library.

The AJHNM-based CPE questionnaire system is a voluntary system designed to assist members in the accumulation of NHAA CPE points. Questions are divided into the appropriate subject categories (herbal medicine and medical science) and each question refers to an article in this issue of the Australian Journal of Herbal and Naturopathic Medicine. Points accumulated through completion of these questions should be recorded in the NHAA CPE diary. Each completed question is worth one mark in the relevant category. Your completed CPE diary should be returned with your membership renewal at the end of the calendar year. For further information, please see the NHAA CPE Members’ Manual on the NHAA website www.nhaa.org.au.