RESEARCH - Herbal remedies may be risky with heart drugs

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Herbal Remedies May Be Risky With Heart Drugs

Researchers Say Some Supplements Should be Avoided by Patients Taking

Heart Drugs

By Salynn Boyles

WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Feb. 1, 2010 -- Patients taking heart drugs are at risk for

potentially dangerous interactions when they also take herbal

supplements such as ginkgo biloba, St. 's wort, and garlic, an

analysis shows.

Investigators with the Mayo Clinic identified herbal and alternative

products that they say should be avoided by patients with heart

disease.

They claim the products could cause problems when taken with drugs

commonly prescribed to lower blood pressure, control cholesterol,

stabilize heart rhythms, or prevent blood clots.

The research analysis appears in the Feb. 9 issue of the Journal of

the American College of Cardiology.

Researcher Arshad Jahangir, MD, tells WebMD that heart patients often

fail to tell their doctors about the alternative remedies they take

because they don't recognize the potential for harm.

" Many people think that natural is synonymous with safe, " he says.

" Many of these herbal remedies have been used for centuries, but they

may not be safe in the current era when used by patients taking many

other medications. "

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Read the full article here:

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20100201/herbal-remedies-may-be-risky-wi\

th-heart-drugs

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