If you are being treated for a medical condition (especially if you are taking prescription medicine), you should get the approval of your health care provider before taking any natural remedy. Some natural remedies have the same effects as prescription medicines. This means there is a danger of being overmedicated. If you have any unusual effects while taking any natural remedy, get advice from a health care provider right away.

Q: Aren't herbal health products safe because they're natural?
A: Not necessarily. Don't think that herbal health products are safe just because they come from plants. (Even some plants are poisonous.) Although herbal products are advertised as "natural," they aren't natural to the human body. Unlike prescription medicines, herbal products don't have be tested before they're sold to prove that they work well and are safe. In addition, herbal products may not be pure—they might have other things in them, like plant pollen, that could make you sick.

Q: Do any medical problems make it more dangerous to take herbal health products?
A: Yes. It may not be safe to take herbal medicines if you have certain health problems. Talk to your doctor before taking herbal products if you have any of these problems:

High blood pressure Diabetes Thyroid problems Heart disease Psychiatric problems Epilepsy Parkinson's disease Glaucoma Enlarged prostate gland Stroke at some time in the past Blood clotting problems

It is also important to tell your doctor about any herbal products you take if you are going to have surgery.

Q: What are possible side effects of herbal health products?
A: Herbal health products aren't tested to be sure they're safe, so they may cause problems. Be sure to tell your doctor if you get a health problem while you're taking an herbal product.

If you're taking Ginkgo biloba, you may have bleeding as a side effect.

If you're taking St. John's wort, you may have an upset stomach, a tired feeling, dizziness, confusion or dry mouth. You may also sunburn more easily.

If you're taking an ephedra product (also called ma huang), you could have many problems. You might get high blood pressure or an uneven heartbeat. You may feel nervous, have headaches or have trouble falling asleep. You could even have a heart attack or a stroke.

If you're taking kava products, you may feel sleepy, get a rash or have strange movements of your mouth and tongue, or other parts of your body.

Q: Can herbal health products change the way prescription medicines work?
A: Yes. Some medicines shouldn't be taken with herbal products.

Don't take Ginkgo biloba if you're taking aspirin, warfarin (brand name: Coumadin), ticlopidine (brand name: Ticlid), clopidogrel (brand name: Plavix) or dipyridamole (brand name: Persantine).

Don't take St. John's wort if you're taking an antidepressant.

Don't take ephedra if you're taking a decongestant or a stimulant drug, or if you drink caffeinated beverages.

Don't take kava products if you're taking a benzodiazepine, a barbiturate, an antipsychotic medicine or any medicine used to treat Parkinson's disease. Also, don't drink alcohol if you take kava products.

Selected Complementary & Alternative Medicines Used in Smoking Cessation

FENUGREEK

http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/article.asp?PageType=article&ID=1894

GINKGO BILOBA

http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/article.asp?PageType=article&ID=1169

http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/article.asp?PageType=article&ID=2118

http://www.herbmed.org/Herbs/Herb44.htm#Category5Herb44

KAVA KAVA

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising consumers of the potential risk of severe liver injury associated with the use of kava-containing dietary supplements.

http://nccam.nih.gov/health/alerts/kava/

LOBELIA

http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/article.asp?PageType=article&ID=1409

http://www.herbmed.org/Herbs/Herb104.htm

PASSION FLOWER (PASSIFLORA)

http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/article.asp?PageType=article&ID=1438

http://www.herbmed.org/Herbs/Herb109.htm

SKULLCAP or SCULLCAP

http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/article.asp?PageType=article&ID=1458

SLIPPERY ELM

http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/article.asp?PageType=article&ID=1460

ST. JOHNS WORT

PLEASE NOTE:

Q: What special precautions are there?
A: St. John's wort must NOT be taken with MAO inhibitor antidepressants such as phenelzine (Nardil), tranylcypromine (Parnate), or isocarboxazid (Marplan) because a very serious reaction can occur. When you take St. John's wort with prescription medicines it may increase or decrease the effects of the medicines. Or the combination may cause harmful side effects. Some medicines that may interact with St. John's wort are:

digoxin (Lanoxin) cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral) warfarin (Coumadin indinavir (Crixivan) fluoxetine (Prozac) ritonavir (Norvir) fluvoxamine (Luvox) nelfinavir (Viracept) sertraline (Zoloft) amprenavir (Agenerase) paroxetine (Paxil) saquinavir (Invirase, Fortovase) nevirapine (Viramune) delavirdine (Rescriptor) efavirenz (Sustiva) losartan (Cozaar) cisapride (Propulsid) theophylline

Recent findings indicate that St. John's wort may make birth control pills less effective. Talk to your health care provider if you are taking birth control pills.

http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/article.asp?PageType=article&ID=1462

http://www.herbmed.org/Herbs/Herb121.htm

VALERIAN

http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/article.asp?PageType=article&ID=1754

http://www.herbmed.org/Herbs/Herb133.htm