People's Pharmacy

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Mixing Herbs And Drugs May Be Life Threatening

Posting Date: 08/01/2001

A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA; July 11, 2001) points out that some commonly used herbal medicines can make surgery more dangerous.

But people often don't tell their doctors if they are taking herbs. According to the authors, patients may believe that "physicians are not knowledgeable about herbal medications or are prejudiced against their use." Other people may not think of herbs as medications or may be taking them for reasons that don't seem relevant to the problem at hand.

The JAMA article cautions specifically about the herbs echinacea, ephedra, garlic, ginkgo, ginseng, kava, St. John's wort and valerian. But many other dietary supplements may also interact with prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Anti-inflammatory agents such as aspirin, ibuprofen and Orudis may be a problem for folks taking ginkgo. The heart medicine Lanoxin and the blood thinner Coumadin are especially likely to interact with herbs.

Anyone who would like to learn more about herb side effects and their interactions with drugs may wish to consult our book, The People's Pharmacy Guide to Home and Herbal Remedies (St. Martin's Press).