Dr Sarah Jarvis
Lots of my patients are loath to take medication, yet will swallow herbal supplements with gay abandon. They assume that because they’re “natural” they must be side-effect free. But aspirin, the heart drug digoxin, and cancer chemotherapy drugs are derived from plants!
If you want to take herbal supplements, always read the label, and always, always check with your pharmacist if you’re taking prescribed medicines.
Where drugs are concerned, there’s no such thing as a “free lunch”. Pretty much all medicines have a range of side effects, and herbal remedies are no exception. So many patients don’t think to mention to their doctor or pharmacist that they’re taking a herbal supplement because they assume they don’t count. They do! And the potential is even greater if you mix them with prescribed medicines.
I’m all in favour of people looking after their own health. I much prefer to prescribe fewer medicines and have people control their symptoms with diet, exercise and talking therapy. These lifestyle measures very rarely carry risks. One of the only exceptions is grapefruit, which can interact with medicines such as the blood-thinning warfarin and cholesterollowering statins. One of the medicines most prone to interactions with herbal remedies is the blood-thinning medicine, warfarin. The effect of warfarin in your system is measured by your INR. Your INR needs to be increased if you have the abnormal heart rhythm Atrial Fibrillation or AF, to counteract increased risk of
FOR A GUARANTEE THAT YOUR HERBAL REMEDY IS PREPARED TO HIGH STANDARDS, ALWAYS LOOK FOR A TRADITIONAL HERBAL REMEDY (THR) LOGO ON THE PACKET