WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants - travolekar.ru

<strong>WHO</strong> <strong>monographs</strong> on selected medicinal plants
Contraindications
Oleum Ricini should not be used as a laxative during pregnancy or while
breastfeeding (5, 13), or in children under the age of 12 years.
Due to stimulation of bile flow, the oil should not be used by patients
with biliary tract obstructions or other biliary disorders.
Oleum Ricini is contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity or
allergy to the oil, appendicitis, chronic inflammatory bowel disorders,
undiagnosed abdominal pain or severe dehydration associated with the
loss of salt and water.
It should not be used in cases of intestinal blockage and ileus.
Warnings
Induction of labour: use of the crude drug in pregnancy (after 40 weeks of
gestation) requires the supervision of a physician, midwife or other experienced
health care professional.
As a cathartic: intake of cathartic drugs for more than a few days may lead
to a worsening of intestinal hypomotility. Do not take for more than
3–5 days without consulting a health care professional. Overdose may
lead to nausea, vomiting, painful abdominal cramps and severe diarrhoea
with loss of water and electrolytes. In case of overdose, a health care professional
should be consulted regarding possible replacement of fluid and
electrolytes.
Precautions
Drug interactions
Concomitant use of castor oil with cardiac glycosides, antiarrhythmic
drugs, diuretics, cortisol, liquorice, antihistamines and fat-soluble vitamins
may reduce the efficacy of these drugs or, in the case of cardiac glycosides,
may increase the risk of adverse events due to fluid and electrolyte
losses.
Carcinogenesis, mutagenesis, impairment of fertility
Genetic toxicity studies were negative for induction of mutations in the
Ames test using Salmonella typhimurium for induction of sister chromatid
exchanges or chromosomal aberrations in Chinese hamster ovary cells,
and for induction of micronuclei in the peripheral blood erythrocytes of
mice fed a diet containing 10% seed oil for 13 weeks (28). No significant
changes were noted in a screening study for male reproductive end-points,
including sperm count and motility, and no changes were observed in the
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