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Gamander

Gamander is a plant whose parts growing above the ground are used to make medicine. Despite serious safety concerns, gamander is used to treat gallbladder disorders, fever, stomach pain and mild diarrhea, as well as a digestive aid, germicide and to aid weight loss. Some people use gamander as a mouthwash to freshen breath and kill bacteria in the mouth.

In industrial production, gamander is used as a flavoring agent in alcoholic beverages.

How does gamander work?

There is not enough information available to say how gamander might work as a medicine.

How effective is gamander?

There is not enough scientific data to say how effective gamander is for gallbladder disease, fever, gout, stomach pain and diarrhea, as well as for weight loss support, as a germicide and as a mouthwash. Further scientific research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of gamander in these applications.

Safety and side effects

Gamander is not safe or harmless. In France, the sale of gamander is prohibited and in Canada the use of gamander in oral products is not permitted. In other countries, at least the use of small amounts as a flavoring agent in alcoholic beverages is permitted.

There are safety concerns as gamander has been linked to several cases of serious liver disease and death.

Precautions and warnings

Pregnancy and lactation: The use of gamander for medicinal purposes is not safe and harmless and may endanger the health of mother and child during pregnancy and lactation.

Interactions

At this time, no information is available on interactions of gamander with medications or supplements.

Dosage

An appropriate dosage of gamander depends on various factors such as age, state of health and others. At the present time, there is insufficient scientific data to make a statement about appropriate dosage ranges for gamander. For this reason, you should follow the dosage instructions on the label and/or consult a doctor or pharmacist before use.

References

  1. Bruneton J. Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants. Paris: Lavoisier Publishing, 1995.
  2. Castot A, Djezzar S, Deleau N, et al [Pharmacovigilance off the beaten track: herbal surveillance or pharmacovigilance of medicinal plants]. Therapy 1997;52:97-103.
  3. Kouzi SA, McMurtry RJ, Nelson SD. Hepatotoxicity of germander (Teucrium chamaedrys L.) and one of its constituent neoclerodane diterpenes teucrin A in the mouse. Chem Res Toxicol 1994;7:850-6.
  4. Larrey D, Vial T, Pauwels A, et al. Hepatitis after germander (Teucrium chamaedrys) administration: another instance of herbal medicine hepatotoxicity. Ann Intern Med 1992;117:129-32.
  5. Mostefa-Kara N, Pauwels A, Pines E, et al. Fatal hepatitis after herbal tea. Lancet 1992;340:674.
  6. Pauwels A, Thierman-Duffaud D, Azanowsky JM, et al. [Acute hepatitis caused by wild germander. Hepatotoxicity of herbal remedies. Two cases]. Gastroenterol Clin Biol 1992;16:92-5.