From the ancient era the herbs and naturals have been used as an important tool to cure disease. The herbals are always considered as safe by the people. Survey indicated that about 70–80% of the world’s populations rely on non-conventional medicine, mainly of herbal source, in their primary healthcare. But recently, some herbs such as Glycyrrhiza glabra Linn, Piper betle Linn, Ginkgo biloba, Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer, Vitex negundo Linn., Argemone mexicana and Asparagus racemosus etc. are evidenced for fatal outcomes. Thus the development criteria for safety of herbal drug become important. The present review is made to focus on emerging need of toxicity study of the herbal drugs prior to its use. So the toxicity studies need to be done even if the plants have a history of long usage or do not have any documented toxicity, as they can lead to some unrelated toxicity especially during long term treatment for chronic conditions or when used as food supplements and nutraceuticals.
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