Herbal
medicines are not always the harmless nostrums that many patients and
even some physicians think, but may actually contribute to
cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, researchers warned in a
review published in the Journal
of the American College of Cardiology[JACC].
Many such products, including aloe vera, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, and green tea, can interact with conventional cardiovascular drugs and lead to serious adverse reactions, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The JACC article also listed 15 common herbal medicines known to interact adversely with conventional cardiovascular drugs.In many cases, the herbal products compete with the regular medicines for the same drug-metabolizing cytochrome P450 enzymes, potentiating the latter's effects. In other cases, the herbal products have their own cardiovascular effects.
Many such products, including aloe vera, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, and green tea, can interact with conventional cardiovascular drugs and lead to serious adverse reactions, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The JACC article also listed 15 common herbal medicines known to interact adversely with conventional cardiovascular drugs.In many cases, the herbal products compete with the regular medicines for the same drug-metabolizing cytochrome P450 enzymes, potentiating the latter's effects. In other cases, the herbal products have their own cardiovascular effects.
Many physicians
already know that even “natural” grapefruit juice occupies the
CYP3A4 enzyme, leading to slower-than-expected metabolism and,
therefore, higher blood levels of a host of pharmaceuticals.These
include the statins, calcium channel antagonists, several common
anti-arrhythmic drugs, and the angiotensin receptor blocker
irbesartan (Avapro), Jahangir and colleagues noted.
Garlic is one of
several common herbal remedies with specific cardiovascular effects
in its own right (others include ginkgo biloba, ginseng, and saw
palmetto). Garlic inhibits platelet aggregation and thus can lead to
increased bleeding risks when combined with aspirin, clopidogrel
(Plavix), or warfarin (Coumadin), the researchers noted.
The Mayo group
identified 10 herbal products that increase bleeding risks with
anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs, and listed 27 herbal products
that patients with cardiovascular diseases would do well to avoid.
These include such common and harmless-seeming products as green tea,
capsicum pepper, licorice, and kelp, as well as grapefruit juice and
garlic. Please remember, as with all our articles we provide information, not medical advice. For any treatment of your own medical condition you must visit your local doctor, with or without our article[s]. These articles are not to be taken as individual medical advice.Please remember, as with all our articles we provide information, not medical advice. For any treatment of your own medical condition you must visit your local doctor, with or without our article[s]. These articles are not to be taken as individual medical advice.
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