Consumer health basics (12)
- Organ donation: Don't let these myths confuse you
- Health savings accounts: Is an HSA right for you?
- Palliative care: Symptom relief during illness
- see all in Consumer health basics
Alternative medicine (13)
- Mindfulness exercises: How to get started
- Pet therapy: Man's best friend as healer
- Herbal supplements may not mix with heart medicines
- see all in Alternative medicine
Medications (4)
- Medication errors: Cut your risk with these tips
- Buying prescription drugs online: The do's and don'ts
- Personalized medicine and pharmacogenomics
- see all in Medications
Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
continued:
Herbal supplements may not mix with heart medicines
Herbal supplements and drug interactions
This table shows popular herbal supplements and interactions with common heart medications. It's not a complete list, however, so be sure to discuss with your doctor the medications and supplements you take.
| Herbal supplement | Medication | Potential effect |
|---|---|---|
| Garlic |
|
Increases risk of bleeding |
| Ginkgo |
|
Increases risk of bleeding |
| Ginseng |
|
Decreases effectiveness of warfarin |
| Hawthorn |
|
Increases blood pressure and heart rate |
|
Decreases blood pressure | |
|
Increases effects of digoxin | |
| Licorice |
|
Decreases levels of warfarin |
| St. John's wort |
|
Reduces effectiveness of drugs |
Playing it safe with herbal supplements
If your doctor tells you it's OK to use an herbal supplement combined with a medication, make sure you follow dosing instructions carefully. Watch for any unusual signs or symptoms that you could be having a drug interaction, such as rapid heartbeat, low blood sugar or changes in blood pressure.
Previous page(2 of 2)
References
- Tachjian A, et al. Use of herbal products and potential interactions in patients with cardiovascular diseases. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2010;55:515.
- Gardiner P, et al. Factors associated with dietary supplement use among prescription medication users. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2006;166:1968.
- Nahin RL, et al. Concomitant use of prescription drugs and dietary supplements in ambulatory elderly people. Journal of the American Geriatric Society. 2009;57:1197.
- Natural Product/Drug Interaction Checker. Natural Medicine Comprehensive Database. http://naturaldatabase.therapeuticresearch.com/nd/Search.aspx?cs=MAYO&s=ND&pt=9&Product=warfarin. Accessed Sept. 16, 2011.
- Gardiner P, et al. Herbal and dietary supplement-drug interactions in patients with chronic illnesses. American Family Physician. 2008;77:73.
- Vogel JHK, et al. Integrating complementary medicine into cardiovascular medicine: A report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation Task Force on Clinical Expert Consensus Documents. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2005;46:184.
- Herbal and nonherbal supplements a danger for warfarin patients. American Heart Association. http://www.theheart.org/article/1079777.do.Accessed Sept. 29, 2011.
- Garlic. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed Sept.16, 2011.
- Ginkgo. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed Sept.16, 2011.
- Ginseng. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed Sept.16, 2011.
- Hawthorn. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed Sept.16, 2011.
- Licorice. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed Sept.16, 2011.
- St. John's wort. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed Sept.16, 2011.
Find Mayo Clinic on