Experts state that these herbs can interact with cardiovascular medications thereby reducing their potency and leading to serious complications like arrhythmias, heart attacks, excessive bleeding and in some cases even death.
According to Arshad Jahangir, Professor of Medicine and Consultant Cardiologist, Mayo Clinic Arizona, and co-author of the research, "Many people have a false sense of security about these herbal products because they are seen as 'natural. But 'natural' doesn't always mean they are safe.
"Every compound we consume has some effect on the body, which is, in essence, why people are taking these products to begin with."
Communication vital to tackle the problem
The main problem is that patients avoid disclosing the alternative medication they are taking, so the physicians are unaware of the risk they might be placing their patients in.
According to experts, the best solution to this problem is open communication with health care providers about supplement use which automatically eliminates the potential risk for a drug interaction.
Naturopathic doctor Paul Saunders says, "Herbals can be unsafe depending on the dose, the substance and your medical history. So it is important to consult a naturopathic doctor who has the training in herbal substances, who has the training in nutrition and who has the training in pharmacology to make sure that interactions don't happen."
Highlights of the review
The scientists revealed that the driving force behind alternative therapies being safer than prescription drugs was the prevalence of problems like obesity, anxiety, depression
and pain disorders.
The review also picked out some common herbal remedies known to have important reactions with cardiovascular drugs.
These include St John's wort, ginseng, ginkgo biloba, garlic, grapefruit juice, green tea, hawthorn, saw palmetto, danshen, echinacea, tetrandrine, aconite, yohimbine, gynura, licorice, and black cohosh.
"We couldn't be too comprehensive, we just picked a few of the most important interactions," Jahangir explained.
The third factor highlighted was the need for rigorous safety and efficacy measures along with quality control and regulations on the marketing and promotion of the herbal supplements.
The authors are not dismissive about merits of alternative medicines. Jahangir stated, "The main thing is that the public needs to be more aware of these interactions, and we [as physicians] need to have more communication with our patients. In no way are we saying that these herbs and compounds don't work.
“ What we are asking for is more scientific evidence, in the same way that other compounds and drugs are tested, before we allow anyone to persuade us to put something in our bodies that can potentially harm us."
The scientific review is published by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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