Posted by Janet Harriett on Jun.10, 2009

©iStockphoto.com - MarsBars

When your doctor asks what medications you are taking, do you mention your daily ginkgo capsules to sharpen your memory? What about the valerian tincture to help you sleep? Your regular cup of echinacea tea during cold and flu season? The candied ginger that helps with morning sickness and motion sickness?

You should. The human body is a complex system, and it is difficult to tweak one function without impacting any others. Even if the herbs aren’t in pill form, they’re still medications, and they may interact with other treatments the doctor may prescribe. 

Common Herb-Drug Interactions

• St. John’s Wort can speed up the rate at which the liver eliminates certain medications. Antiviral drugs, antibiotics, antidepressants, birth control pills and anti-rejection drugs may all be less effective if you are taking St. John’s Wort at the same time.
• Garlic can increase the effect of anticoagulant drugs.
• Ginger is another herbal blood thinner that, when combined with prescription anticoagulants, can multiply the effect to dangerous levels.
• Ginseng may counteract medications to lower blood pressure.
• Echinacea may exacerbate liver side effects of prescription medication.

Warfarin is the most common drug to interact with herbal treatments. Warfarin is an anticoagulant also known as Coumadin, Jantoven, Marevan or Waran.

Herbs that Make Medical Conditions Worse

Sometimes, herbal supplements that seem like a prudent, or at least benign, course of action for minor health concerns may turn out to cause health problems, even as they fix others. Herbs are complex collections of compounds, and while one compound in a plant may be effective for one condition, another compound in the herb may act on a different system in an undesirable way.

• Echinacea or chamomile cause allergy symptoms in people sensitive to ragweed
• Garlic may cause unsafe drops in blood sugar among diabetics

Herbalists Help Minimize Herb-Drug Interactions

Part of the popularity of herbs is that they are readily available in vitamin and supplement stores, and even in many supermarket pharmacy departments. People looking to take charge of their own health have a ready source for nature’s cures. What people don’t have as readily is comprehensive information about uses, effective dosages and herb-drug interactions.

Since FDA regulations prohibit herbs sold as dietary supplements from making explicit health claims, the labels on herbs are often vague, mentioning only that something “supports cardiovascular health” or is “for health digestion” without any sign of which particular condition the herb helps. There is no way of knowing from just the label whether an herb for cardiovascular health lowers blood pressure or rebalances cholesterol levels. That digestive support herb may help constipation or diarrhea.

Having a competent, trained, professional herbalist helps avoid herb-drug interactions, or even herb-on-herb interactions. Physicians may not be aware of all the possible herb-drug interactions. Since herbs are the herbalists’ focus, herbalists are more likely to be aware of the possible interactions and side effects of herbs. Herbalists can also guide you to the most effective herbs for your particular case.

People diagnosed with serious conditions are often eager to throw everything at the condition at once. With herb-drug interactions, this may prove counterproductive, since the herbal remedy may magnify the effect of the pharmaceutical, leading to undesirable or dangerous effects, or one treatment may negate the other, wasting time and money on ineffective treatments. Doctors who are open to complementary medicine may be willing to work with an herbalist to coordinate herbal and traditional treatments for a condition to achieve optimal results.

Even if you don’t see an herbalist and choose to self-educate about the particular herbs you take, be sure to let your doctor know what you are taking so she can make informed observations and recommendations for your health. Herbs, like all medicine, have complex actions in the body and may combine in unanticipated ways. Herb-drug interactions can be just as dangerous as interactions between pharmaceutical medicines.

Share

Posted under Health & Fitness, Supplements.