TABLE 2.
Reported adverse effects.
| Herbal remedy | References | Number of trials | Adverse effects (N of trials reporting) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aloe vera | Suksomboon et al., (2016) | 5 | None (4); diarrhoea/vomiting (1) |
| Aloe vera | Zhang et al., (2016) | 5 | Only one trial reported one adverse event (not specified) |
| Astragalus | Tian et al., (2016) | 13 | None (3) |
| Cinnamon | Allen et al., (2013) | 10 | No significant adverse effects (10) |
| Cinnamon | Davis and Yokoyama, (2011) | 8 | Not reported |
| Cinnamon | Deyno et al., (2019) | 16 | “Well tolerated" |
| Cinnamon | Leach and Kumar, (2012) | 10 | No difference in incidence between treatment and control (3). One case of hives, and one of hypoglycaemic seizure (in a trial in T1DM patients on insulin). |
| Cinnamon | Namazi et al., (2019) | 18 | One case of “skin allergy” after taking the remedy for 90 days. |
| Dragon Fruit | Poolsup et al., (2017) | 2 | None (2) |
| Fenugreek | Neelakantan et al., (2014) | 10 | Mild gastrointestinal symptoms (3) |
| Gegen Qinlian | Yang et al., (2019) | 13 | None reported (15); fewer than in control group (12); mild g-i effects (2) |
| Ginger | Huang et al., (2019) | 8 | Not reported |
| Ginseng | Gui et al., (2016) | 8 | No serious adverse events (8) |
| Ginseng | Kim et al., (2011) | 3 | No difference in incidence compared to control; reports of tachycardia, headache, blurry vision, insomnia, irritability and hypoglycemia (1) |
| Ginseng | Shishtar et al., (2014) | 16 | No difference in incidence compared to control (4) |
| Jinqi Jiangtang | Gao et al., (2019) | 17 | No difference in incidence compared to control (8) |
| Momordica charantia | Ooi et al., (2012) | 1 | No serious adverse events (3); gastrointestinal symptoms (2) |
| Momordica charantia | Peter et al., (2019) | 6 | Gastrointestinal symptoms (5), headache/dizziness (2), rash (1), sore throat (1), hypotension (1) |
| Mulberry | Shin et al., (2016) | 1 | Not reported |
| Nettle | Ziaei et al., (2020) | 8 | No significant adverse events (7), itching (1) |
| Nigella sativa | Daryabeygi-Khotbehsara et al., (2017) | 7 | None (6); mild g-i side effects (1) |
| Olive Oil | Schwingshackl et al., (2017) | 25 | Not reported |
| Psyllium Fiber | Gibb et al., (2015) | 4 | Not reported |
| Sweet Potato | Ooi and Loke, (2013) | 2 | No difference in incidence compared to control (2) |
| Tea | Li et al., (2016) | 12 | Not reported |
| Tianmai Xiaoke | Gu et al., (2018) | 7 | Gastrointestinal symptoms, nervous system symptoms, and hypoglycemia (7) |