Science and Health

Mixing herbal remedies and heart drugs 'dangerous'

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-02-02 17:32

LOS ANGELES: People who take herbal remedies while using heart drugs may face higher risk of cardiac problems, a medical report warns.

Some herbal medications affect the activity of prescription drugs for heart troubles, dampening or enhancing their effects, says report author Dr. Arshad Jahangir, a consultant cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona.

Herbs, if mixed with drugs, could make blood pressure medications and rhythm-controlling medications less effective and might cause serious heart rhythm problems and bleeding, according to the report published in the February issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Even grapefruit juice, recommended as an aid in weight-loss programs, is problematic in interfering with enzymes that break down drugs in the digestive system, including the statins used to lower cholesterol levels and amiodarone used to treat and prevent abnormal heart rhythms, Jahangir says.

Using herbal remedies among the elders is specially problematic because they typically have more than one disease and take multiple medications.

While up-to-date statistics are not available, it appears that more than 15 million Americans are using herbal remedies and the number is growing, according to Jahangir.

However, many patients have not realized the danger and fail to inform doctors of their use of herbal remedies.

Douglas Mackay, vice president of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, an industry association, encourages patients to inform their doctors of their herbal remedies.

"Many herbal supplements offer healthful benefits and fiber, garlic, and hawthorne provide heart health benefits, and the potential risk for a drug interaction can be eliminated by speaking openly with your doctor," he says.