Herb-Drug Interactions
Herb-drug interactions happen, and when they do they can cause problems. As I've said elsewhere and will repeat here: it's been my personal experience and observation that herbs are quite safe if taken properly -- that is, the right herb for the right condition, in the proper form and at the proper dosages and not misused or abused -- and excepting undiagnosed underlying conditions or the quite rare severe allergic reactions, either of which may cause mild to severe problems or even death. But then MY experience doesn't include pharmaceuticals. they present a special case.
General Advice
Anyone who is taking pharmaceuticals these days should know that even certain foods can interact with the drugs and alter their performance. Since so many herbs are either foods (e.g., ginger, kelp, stinging nettles, cinnamon, shitake, etc.) or food-like in nature (alfalfa, kelp), no one should be surprised to learn that herbs can adversely interact with drugs too. The effects can range from merely unpleasant, to deadly.
Extra Caution, Please!
One excellent resource issued this additional warning: High-risk patients, such as the elderly, patients taking three or more medications for chronic conditions, patients suffering from diabetes, hypertension, depression, high cholesterol or congestive heart failure, should be especially on the lookout for such side reactions. In these drug-herb interation situations, it's not so much that the herbs themselves are dangerous, but that they change the way the drugs are metabolized in the body, as Dr. Subhuti Dharmananda, Director of the Institute for Traditional Medicine, Portland, Oregon describes in his online article. The types of effects herbs can have vary, but seem to fall into several broad categories of actions, as described in this fascinating article about the various pharmacokinetic interactions between herbs and drugs. Well worth reading. So please, if you are taking prescribed pharmaceutical drugs, consult your personal physician before consuming ANY herbs. And also be aware that common foods you may eat frequently (garlic, grapefruit, etc.) could also negatively affect your prescription drug. Following are some additional useful links on he subject of herb-drug interactions (and a few list food-drug interactions).
Herb-Drug Interactions Additional Resources
University of Michigan, includes table format data of herb-drug interactions.
Another chart, and a good article written by a nurse for Critical Care Nurse website. This also includes information about what happens when combined (e.g., increases likelihood of seizures).
Potential Herb-Drug Interactions, in table format by class of drug (e.g., anti-hypterensives)
Articles Concerning Drug-Herb and Drug-Nutrient Interactions
Interactive site for Drug-Drug and Drug-Food (including Herbs and Alcohol) Interactions
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