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Ginseng

Posting Date: 09/04/2002

Many of them were also taking high doses of caffeine and other substances, so it is not possible to sort out whether any of these side effects are truly due to ginseng overdose.

One brief report from Paris concerned a law student who developed a sore throat and took antibiotics for several days. Then, with final exams looming, he turned to ginseng as he would have in his native China.

Within a week he had developed a serious skin reaction known as Stevens-Johnson syndrome and had to be hospitalized. Stevens-Johnson syndrome is sometimes lethal. Fortunately, he recovered completely within thirty days.

The doctors who treated him did not have the ginseng preparation analyzed, but they speculated that it might have been adulterated with a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug that could have been responsible for the reaction. They did not consider the antibiotics a potential trigger, although Stevens-Johnson syndrome is a rare but established reaction to some antibiotics.

It is prudent to stop ginseng and seek medical attention if a rash or major skin redness develops while taking the herb.

Other side effects that have cropped up in ginseng users are breast pain in one woman and vaginal bleeding in another woman seventy-two years of age.

Possible Interactions

Despite research suggesting that ginseng might reduce platelet aggregation, the only reported interaction with Coumadin resulted in a decreased INR (a measure of blood's propensity to clot).

This suggests that ginseng may counteract Coumadin's benefit. People taking this or other anticoagulant medications such as aspirin, Plavix, or Ticlid should exercise caution or avoid taking ginseng. Please discuss your use of ginseng with your physician.

Another potential drug interaction involved a Spanish woman who was taking lithium and amitriptyline for depression. She discontinued these medications and immediately began taking ginseng instead. Within two weeks she suffered a manic episode and was hospitalized.