Antioxidant Effects of Herbal Medicine in Reducing the Effects of Environmental Toxicity: Narrative Review

Nosrati Andevari, Ali; Bahri, Faegheh; Farajpour, Mohammad; Ghorban Shiroodi, Sotoudeh

doi:10.22038/rcm.2026.92541.1572

Antioxidant Effects of Herbal Medicine in Reducing the Effects of Environmental Toxicity: Narrative Review

Document Type : Review

Authors

Ali Nosrati Andevari ¹

Faegheh Bahri ¹

Mohammad Farajpour ²

Sotoudeh Ghorban Shiroodi ²

¹ Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Afzalipour Faculty of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

² Student Research Committee, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran

10.22038/rcm.2026.92541.1572

Abstract

Environmental toxicity, driven by pollutants such as heavy metals, pesticides, and industrial chemicals, induces oxidative stress, leading to cellular damage and chronic diseases. Herbal medicines, rich in bioactive compounds like flavonoids, phenolic acids, and terpenoids, offer a natural defense by scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS), enhancing detoxification pathways, and mitigating toxicity effects. The aim of this study is to investigate the antioxidant effects of herbal medicine in decreasing environmental toxicity effects. The article is a narrative review that highlights the antioxidant mechanisms of key herbs—including milk thistle (silymarin), turmeric (curcumin), ginger (gingerols), and green tea (EGCG), and other herbal medicine in counteracting environmental toxins. Herbal medicine contains various antioxidant compounds including Flavonoids, Phenolic acids, Terpenoids, Tannins, Selenium, Glutathione and Vitamins. Clinical and preclinical studies demonstrate herbal medicine efficacy in reducing oxidative markers and boosting endogenous antioxidants. These findings underscore the potential of herbal medicine as a sustainable strategy to combat environmental toxicity-related health risks.

Keywords

Environmental toxicity

Herbal medicine

ROS

Curcumin

Ginger