Praktické lekárnictvo 3/2020

Phytopharmaceuticals and immunity

Throughout history, people have studied the effects of various plants on human health. Even today, the development of novel modern drugs relies on historical knowledge of using and preparing plants and their extracts for medicinal purposes. Phytopharmaceuticals are among those medicinal products the composition of which contains at least one herbal substance removed directly from plants. Another group involves traditional herbal medicinal products that differ in that they contain extracts from several different plants; as a result, a particular active substance responsible for the mechanism of action is not known in this group.

Keywords: herbal medicine, immunomodulation, Echinacea, beta-glucans