Neurotoxicity and Antioxidant Herbal Remedies: A Critical Appraisal of Evidence
Mugo Moses H.
School of Natural and Applied Sciences Kampala International University Uganda
ABSTRACT
Neurotoxicity-injury to the nervous system resulting from chemical, biological, or physical insults-remains a pressing clinical and public-health problem across acute exposures (organophosphates, heavy metals, chemotherapeutics), chronic environmental pollution, and neurodegenerative disorders where toxic processes (oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, excitotoxicity, neuroinflammation) play central roles. Antioxidant herbal remedies, composed of polyphenols, flavonoids, alkaloids and other phytochemicals, are widely proposed as neuroprotective agents because they modulate redox balance, mitochondrial function, and inflammatory signaling. Preclinical literature overwhelmingly supports multi-modal neuroprotection for compounds such as curcumin, resveratrol, quercetin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), ginsenosides and berberine across models of ischemia, toxin-induced neuronal death, and protein-aggregation pathology. However, clinical translation is limited: human trials are small, heterogeneous in formulations and outcomes, and frequently confounded by poor bioavailability and inadequate safety monitoring. Furthermore, some herbal extracts carry intrinsic neurotoxic or pro-oxidant risks at high doses or via contaminants and interactions. This review synthesizes mechanistic rationales for antioxidant phytotherapy in neurotoxicity, critically examines preclinical and clinical evidence, highlights safety and standardization challenges, and proposes research priorities standardized extracts, rigorous pharmacokinetics, mechanistic biomarkers, and well-powered randomized trials to clarify whether antioxidant herbal remedies can be responsibly integrated into neuroprotective strategies. Until such evidence is available, herbal antioxidants should be considered experimental adjuncts rather than established neurotherapeutics.
Keywords: neurotoxicity, oxidative stress, phytochemicals, neuroprotection, clinical translation
CITE AS: Mugo Moses H. (2026). Neurotoxicity and Antioxidant Herbal Remedies: A Critical Appraisal of Evidence. IDOSR JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY, BIOTECHNOLOGY AND ALLIED FIELDS 11(1):1-5. https://doi.org/10.59298/IDOSR/JBBAF/2026/1021500