risks of herbal remedies interacting with conventional medicines

September 7, 2004

People should be aware of the risks of herbal remedies interacting with

conventional medicines

Tuesday, 7-Sep-2004 News-Medical.Net

A high percentage of the population could be endangering their health by

taking herbal medicines without checking with a health professional

first according to Houghton, Professor in Pharmacognosy, King’s

College London. Speaking at the BA Festival of Science, Prof Houghton

warned of the risks of herbal remedies interacting with conventional

medicines.

There is widespread belief that all herbs are safe because they are

‘natural’. However, some plant material may contain compounds which are

toxic and the amount present can vary much more than with a synthetic

product. And, unlike pharmaceutical drugs, there are no strict quality

standards for herbal medications.

" Although your risk of dying from taking a herbal remedy is extremely

small, some do interact with other medicines with serious consequences.

For instance, St ’s Wort makes many prescription drugs used to treat

conditions such as heart disease, depression, seizures, certain cancers

or to prevent conditions such as transplant rejection or pregnancy (oral

contraceptives) less effective, " said Prof Houghton.

People also run additional risks because they tend to diagnose

themselves and take what they think appropriate. The danger is that

their diagnosis could be incorrect or they take the wrong remedy.

" Patients should buy herbal medicines from somewhere where they can

receive health advice from a professional, such as a pharmacist, " added

Prof Houghton.

In addition, an herb, although safe in itself, may be contaminated with,

or replaced by, a much more dangerous substance. This can happen either

by mistakes being made by consumers or suppliers of the herb, or be done

deliberately for dishonest commercial reasons.

" A large amount of risk associated with these situations can be reduced

by checking the identity and composition of the herb by scientific

methods, " he added. " A new class of medicines based on traditional use

is now on the EU statute books, so in the future consumers will know

that a herbal product is of good quality if it has an EU licence. "

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