Applying an Ethical Framework to Herbal Medicine.

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2018 Sep 19;2018:1903629. doi: 10.1155/2018/1903629. eCollection 2018. Chatfield K1, Salehi B2,3, Sharifi-Rad J4,5, Afshar L6. Author information 1 Centre for Professional Ethics, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK. 2 Medical Ethics and Law Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 3 Student Research Committee, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 4 Phytochemistry Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 5 Department of Chemistry, Richardson College for the Environmental Science Complex, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, Canada. 6 Department of Medical Ethics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Abstract Herbal medicines make a vital contribution to healthcare globally, but from production through to practice, there are ethical challenges that require attention. Ethical challenges are often analysed through application of an ethical framework because this can facilitate a consistent and structured approach. In healthcare, the most commonly used framework over recent decades has been that of the four principles: beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice. However, for various reasons that are explained, this approach to ethical analysis is not the most fitting for the global phenomenon of herbal medicine. In this paper, a relatively new moral framework that is based upon the globally accepted values of care, respect, honesty, and fairness is explored in relation to herbal medicine for the first time. Through application of this framework, the ethical challenges and actions needed to address them become clear, thus resulting in practical recommendations for enhancing ethical standards in herbal medicine. PMID: 30327677 PMCID: PMC6169226 DOI: 10.1155/2018/1903629 Free PMC Article