Prescription or Poison?: The Benefits and Dangers of Herbal Remedies Book

Preface

Acknowledgments

1 Complementary and Alternative Medicines: Who Uses Them? 1

Is Any Herbal Remedy Safe? 4

Does the FDA Control the Sale of Herbal Supplements? 4

The Sale of Herbal Supplements Is on the Rise 6

Complementary and Alternative Medicines 6

The Benefits of Massage, Reiki, and Other Bio-Field Therapies 7

The Benefits of Acupuncture 9

The Benefits of Yoga, Meditation, and Prayer 9

Who Takes Herbal Supplements? 11

Common Herbal Supplements Taken by American Adults 13

Herbal Remedies and Medical Research 16

Conclusion 17

2 Some Relatively Safe and Effective Herbal Supplements 18

Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) Herbal Supplements 18

Other Dietary Supplements 40

Conclusion 44

3 Essential Oils and Fish-Oil Supplements: How Effective Are They? 45

Essential Fatty Acids (Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids) 45

Essential Oils 47

Commonly Used Essential Oils 50

Fish Oil 56

Conclusion 58

4 Herbal Supplements That May Boost Your Immune System 59

The Immune System 60

Astragalus 62

Echinacea 62

Elderberry 64

Eucalyptus Oil 64

Garlic 64

Ginseng 65

Goldenseal 66

Honey 67

Hyssop 67

Larch Arabinogalactans 67

Licorice 68

Olive Leaf 68

Osha 68

Pepermint Oil 69

Sage 69

Other Miscellaneous Agents 69

Conclusion 70

5 Homeopathic Remedies: Relatively Safe Alternative Medicine 71

A Brief History of Homeopathy in the United States 72

Principles of Homeopathy 73

Current Acceptance of Homeopathy in the United States 78

Regulation of Homeopathic Remedies in the United States 79

Common Homeopathic Remedies 81

Does Homeopathy Work? The Scientific Research 82

Adverse Effects 85

Conclusion 86

6 Vitamins and Minerals 87

Vitamin A 88

Vitamin B Complex 89

Vitamin C 92

Vitamin D 94

Vitamin E 95

Vitamin K 95

Vitamin Toxicity 96

Mineral/Trace Elements 96

Do We Need Vitamin/Mineral Supplements? 99

Conclusion 100

7 Moderately Toxic Herbal Remedies That May Cause Organ Damage 102

Blood Tests to Check Liver Function 103

Herbal Supplements That Cause Liver Damage 104

Herbal Supplements That May Cause Kidney Damage 112

Herbal Supplements Toxic to the Heart and Miscellaneous Other Toxicities 113

Conclusion 115

8 Severely Toxic Herbal Remedies That May Even Cause Death 116

Herbal Supplements That Are Severely Toxic 117

Other Herbal and Natural Supplements You Should Avoid as Possibly Toxic 124

Conclusion 128

9 How Herbal Remedies Interact with Your Medicines 129

Drug-Drug and Drug-Herb Interaction 129

Who Is Most Vulnerable to Drug-Herb Interactions? 131

What Are the Chances of Experiencing Drug-Herb Interactions? 132

How St. John's Wort Can Interact with Drugs 134

Possible Interactions of Warfarin and Herbal Supplements 138

Possible Drug Interactions with Ginkgo Biloba 140

Possible Drug Interactions with Ginseng 141

Possible Drug Interactions with Kava 142

Possible Drug Interactions with Valerian 143

Other Miscellaneous Drug-Herb Interactions 143

Conclusion 145

10 Food, Alcohol, Fruit Juices, Smoking---and Your Meds 146

Food-Drug Interactions 146

Alcohol-Drug Interactions 149

Smoking and Your Medications 151

Possible Drug Interactions with Grapefruit Juice 152

Drug Interactions with Orange Juice 156

Drug Interactions with Pomelo, Cranberry, and Pomegranate Juices 157

Conclusion 158

11 Herbal Supplements, Alternative Therapies, and Women's Health 159

Supplements and Remedies Used at Menopause 159

Supplements and Remedies Used During Pregnancy 160

Herbs That Are Effective in Treating Other Women's Health Issues 164

Herbs That Are Not Effective or for Which There Is Insufficient Data 169

Aromatherapy, Acupuncture, and Acupressure 170

Conclusion 171

12 How Herbal Remedies May Affect Laboratory Test Results 172

Liver-Function Tests 173

Glucose Tests 174

Kidney Function Tests 178

Blood Electrolytes Tests 178

Thyroid Tests 179

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring 179

Digoxin Monitoring 181

Patients Using Herbal Remedies During Surgery 182

Herbal Remedies Contaminated with Western Drugs 183

Conclusion 183

13 Herbal Remedies That Are Misidentified or Contaminated with Heavy Metals or Western Drugs 184

Misidentification of Herbal Supplement 184

Unintentional Versus Intentional Contamination of Herbal Products 186

Heavy-Metal Contamination of Herbal Supplements 187

Pesticide Contamination of Herbal Supplements 190

Herbal Supplements Contaminated with Western Drugs 191

Traditional Chinese Medicine: Is There Any Good News? 195

Conclusion 197

14 An Introduction to Ayurvedic Medicine 198

The Basic Principles of Ayurvedic Medicine 198

Ayurvedic Medicines 200

Efficacy 201

Dangers of Ayurvedic Medicines: Heavy-Metal Toxicity 202

Conclusion 207

Appendix A Generic and Trade Names of Drugs Discussed in This Book 209

Appendix B Herbal Supplements You Should Avoid Because They Are Potentially Toxic 212

Notes 213

Glossary 241

Further Reading 245

Index 246