The Advantage of Herbal Mixtures - Synergy
Studies conducted by Afexa Life Sciences Inc. have shown that a single active component derived from plants can produce a positive pharmaceutical effect. However, generation of effect requires a substantial amount of a single ingredient, or a higher concentration than normally is found in the plant. The occurrence of side effects also increases with higher doses of active ingredient.
In theory, a plant extract with a low amount of ‘active ingredient’ would be expected to have few side effects but also little pharmaceutical effect. Yet, herbs have been observed to be effective in a variety of conditions while at the same time they appear to be associated with fewer side effects. The pharmaceutical activity of herbal compositions may be attributable to the natural presence of multiple biologically active compounds that interact in synergy together, to create an effect that is greater than that which occurs with a single chemical component. As no single component is present in a large quantity, side effects are lessened.