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Note: Additional and specific herb/drug interaction information will be listed with
the information on the herb itself.
For the most part herb/drug interactions are a
new phenomenon. Fifty years ago, an individual going to an herbalist was not on western
medicine. People took one form of medicine or the other. Never both. Today, that's all
changed. People taking herbs are often on several different medications at the same time.
And there is a much greater potential for herb/drug interactions.
There are probably only 8-9 products we need to be concerned with.
Commonsense says "Don't mix the
following":
 | sedatives with stimulants |
| diuretics with heart medicine (digoxin) |
| diuretics with lithium |
| Kava kava with Valium (benzodiazepine) |
| Kava kava with a 6-pack of beer |
Drugs with a narrow window of safety: (get
professional guidance)
| digoxin |
| coumadin |
| anti-rejection drugs |
| phenytoin |
| phenobarbitol |
If you are on:
| Warfarin or Heparin |
Be careful with:
| Ginkgo extract |
| Goldenseal |
| Oregon Grape |
| Salicylate containing herbs: Willow bark, Wintergreen |
| Licorice root |
In general:
| Use caution with purgative laxatives: Cascara sagrada, Buckthorn, Aloe latex
(Medications may pass through the system without being absorbed.) |
| If you are on medications and you want to take herbal products, take them at different
times of the day. |
| First time taking an herb: use 1/4 to ½ the suggested dosage, for up to a week, then
gradually increase. |
Do mix the following: Herbs & Antibiotics
There are many herbs that help the body to fight off infections either through
antiseptic action or by stimulating the immune system. Some of the best include Garlic,
Echinacea, Goldenseal, Astragulus, Olive Leaf extract, the ginsengs, and many of the
fungi. Note: There are some 38,000 species of mushrooms – (Shiitake (Lentinula
edodes, Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) – that have medicinal uses.
Separating fact from fiction:
How would you evaluate the following information?
"Parsley cannot be safely combined with coumadin." (This is a
quote from a magazine article written by an herbalist.The author was referring to the
presence of courmarins.)
"Chamomile contains coumarin..." says Lucinda Miller, in an article in the Archives
of Internal Medicine, entitled "Herbal Medicinals: Selected Clinical
Considerations Focusing on Known or Potential Drug-Herb Interactions." Chamomile
affects the anticoagulant or clotting system. The implication: Don’t drink chamomile
tea if you are on blood thinners like Coumadin.
(To a phytochemist... coumarin is a plant chemical based on the coumarin structure.
It does not necessarily indicate blood thinning action. To a pharmacist...
coumarin means anticoagulant drugs derived from phytochemicals in the coumarin group.)
Reality? Normal food amounts of parsley,
and/or a cup of chamomile tea are perfectly safe to take, even if you are on a blood
thinner.
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