Can herbs interact with pharmaceutical drugs?
Yes, indeed. The potential for some herbs to impact the effectiveness of conventional medications is one of the important issues facing health care practitioners today. After all, one in six adults taking prescription drugs also takes at least one herbal product.(10) While some interactions are immediately apparent, other, more subtle problems may result over time. An herbal product might counteract a medication, dilute its effects, or enhance its properties, creating an inadvertent overdose. Often the effect is not obvious and may thus compound over time. For example, St. John s Wort, a popular herbal remedy for depression, may decrease the effectiveness of anti-rejection drugs in transplant patients and antiviral drugs in HIV patients, with dire consequences. (11,12) If taken for longer than 14 days, St John s Wort also alters the metabolism of other conventional medications by affecting liver enzyme function.
