Table 4.
Common adverse event associations of herbs found in FAERS and CVAR.
| Herb | Adverse event | PRR [confidence interval] |
|---|---|---|
| Allium sativum (Garlic) | Blood pressure increased | 3.09 [2.45-3.89]; 3.34 [1.99-5.61] |
| Camellia sinensis (Tea) | Heart rate increased | 3.21 [2.01-5.12]; 4.65 [2.87-7.55] |
| Cannabis sativa (Marijuana) | Suicide attempt | 4.30 [3.30-5.61]; 5.37 [2.97-9.70] |
| Aggression | 7.19 [5.85-8.84]; 9.48 [6.78-13.25] | |
| Loss of consciousness | 3.58 [2.94-4.36]; 3.76 [2.55-5.54] | |
| Psychotic disorder | 6.31 [4.69-8.49]; 5.84 [3.52-9.70] | |
| Suicidal ideation | 4.78 [3.91-5.84]; 4.25 [2.73-6.61] | |
| Euphoric mood | 27.44 [21.58-34.89]; 44.46 [33.34-59.28] | |
| Dysarthria | 3.11 [2.13-4.54]; 5.92 [3.36-10.43] | |
| Overdose | 5.59 [4.76-6.56]; 9.99 [7.15-13.96] | |
| Toxicity to various agents | 8.81 [7.55-10.28]; 4.20 [2.32-7.59] | |
| Anger | 4.34 [3.13-6.02]; 7.77 [4.41-13.67] | |
| Drug withdrawal syndrome | 5.43 [4.41-6.69]; 29.68 [22.24-39.61] | |
| Drug diversion | 45.72 [32.23-64.86]; 122.31 [89.85-166.50] | |
| Curcuma longa (Turmeric) | Fatigue | 3.36 [2.93-3.85]; 3.38 [2.04-5.59] |
| Glycine max (Soybean) | Alanine aminotransferase increased | 9.03 [5.90-13.82]; 3.18 [1.76-5.76] |
| Aspartate aminotransferase increased | 7.68 [4.74-12.44]; 3.75 [2.17-6.48] | |
| Hypericum perforatum (St John’sWort) | Paraesthesia | 8.08 [6.14-10.63]; 6.56 [3.55-12.13] |
| Tremor | 5.79 [4.26-7.88]; 6.30 [3.49-11.38] | |
| Anxiety | 7.42 [5.91-9.31]; 10.37 [6.17-17.44] | |
| Depression | 8.01 [6.39-10.04]; 7.07 [3.72-13.44] | |
| Linum usitatissimum (Flax) | Joint swelling | 3.77 [2.66-5.35]; 7.60 [4.15-13.92] |
| Medicago sativa (Alfalfa) | Diarrhea | 3.80 [2.23-6.48]; 5.03 [3.00-8.43] |
| Asthenia | 5.35 [3.14-9.13]; 5.26 [2.89-9.57] | |
| Senna alexandrina (Senna) | Confusional state | 3.85 [3.53-4.20]; 3.23 [2.78-3.75] |
| Acute kidney injury | 6.28 [5.53-7.13]; 3.49 [2.69-4.53] | |
| Hypokalemia | 5.19 [4.51-5.97]; 3.76 [2.57-5.50] | |
| Urinary retention | 3.85 [3.18-4.66]; 3.50 [2.44-5.02] | |
| Constipation | 5.23 [4.86-5.62]; 4.46 [3.82-5.20] | |
| Respiratory failure | 3.47 [3.05-3.95]; 3.49 [2.35-5.18] | |
| Pancytopenia | 4.10 [3.56-4.73]; 3.57 [2.46-5.18] | |
| Neutropenia | 4.48 [4.04-4.97]; 3.29 [2.66-4.07] | |
| Delirium | 4.50 [3.77-5.37]; 5.48 [4.16-7.22] | |
| Hyperkalemia | 5.22 [4.45-6.12]; 3.57 [2.26-5.63] | |
| Blood creatinine increased | 3.64 [3.19-4.16]; 3.77 [3.09-4.60] | |
| Red blood cell count decreased | 4.07 [3.30-5.01]; 4.73 [3.36-6.65] | |
| Depressed level of consciousness | 3.45 [2.88-4.13]; 4.36 [3.25-5.86] | |
| Pneumonia aspiration | 5.38 [4.44-6.51]; 11.08 [7.91-15.52] | |
| International normalized ratio increased | 4.67 [4.05-5.39]; 4.58 [3.29-6.38] | |
| Ascites | 3.55 [2.89-4.35]; 3.96 [2.60-6.04] | |
| Plasma cell myeloma | 5.02 [4.14-6.08]; 5.85 [3.89-8.81] | |
| Platelet count decreased | 4.19 [3.76-4.67]; 3.41 [2.59-4.49] | |
| Haematocrit decreased | 6.32 [5.35-7.46]; 6.39 [4.36-9.37] | |
| Neutrophil count decreased | 5.01 [4.23-5.93]; 3.65 [2.62-5.09] | |
| Hypophagia | 4.64 [3.78-5.70]; 3.77 [2.33-6.11] | |
| Taraxacum officinale (Dandelion) | Dizziness | 4.59 [2.63-8.02]; 3.22 [1.77-5.86] |
| Vaccinium macrocarpon (Cranberry) | Constipation | 3.09 [2.57-3.71]; 7.71[4.49-13.23] |
| Sedation | 3.59 [2.29-5.63]; 38.29 [20.41-71.84] | |
| Urinary tract infection | 10.43 [9.29-11.70]; 7.59 [4.14-13.90] | |
| Fall | 3.63 [3.19-4.13]; 6.04 [3.73-9.77] | |
| Cognitive disorder | 3.64 [2.60-5.10]; 40.27 [21.47-75.54] | |
| Vaccinium myrtillus (European Blueberry) | Vomiting | 4.77 [3.32-6.85]; 3.59 [1.96-6.56] |
| Zingiber officinale (Ginger) | Nausea | 4.40 [3.67-5.27]; 3.31 [2.32-4.73] |
| Tremor | 3.30 [2.26-4.81]; 3.53 [1.93-6.47] |
CVAR: Canada Vigilance Adverse Reaction; FAERS: FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System; PRR: Proportional Reporting Ratio; ROR: Reporting Odds Ratio; Timeframe: FAERS: 2004-2016 and CVAR: 1965-2017.
PRR scores are provided along with confidence intervals from FAERS and CVAR in order. ROR scores are available in Supplementary Tables.
Note: Not all data represent 100% adverse events.