Saintperle

1/25/07

Drug - Herb Interactions: Aloe & Bilberry

Our society has gradually and more or less recently learned that the herbal medications used for thousands of years may actually work. In fact, many do, but if herbal remedies are effective, they must contain biologically active chemicals, and that increases the possible risk of side effects and interaction with other drugs.

In Europe and Asia, herbal remedies have long been used and accepted as an adjunct to Western pharmaceutical (allopathic) medications, but the absolutism of allopathic medicine in America leaves us with competent qualified highly trained medical professions (i.e., doctors) who have no knowledge of or training the effects of herbal medicine.

For most Americans, "Natural" means "Safe."
But again, any herb that works is making changes in your body.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the use of the needles can be learned in a relatively short time. Despite cheap adventure movies, it's damn near impossible to cause much harm with incompetent needling. But herbs are a different matter, and serious colleges teaching the profession require years of training and practice before they will daclare a student qualified. BECAUSE -- incompetence in herbal prescribing can kill and/or seriously harm people, aside from not doing anything for their disease or disorder.

So, realizing that politics is the Tar Baby, I thought perhaps I might be of some small service to my fellow humans and present actual information (rather than the blue sky, beliefs, and bullshit that make up the thing we call politics). Besides, Monkey Boy and his hench-creatures are circling the toilet bowl of history, having actually flushed it themselves, so they certainly doesn't need my help getting to their new adventure in Sewer Surfing.

So -- actual information in this post, for a change. Alphabetical is the best way to go, I think and I'll begin with the first two in the list:

Herb Name


Aloe vera, Aloe gel, Aloe barbadensis


Drug Name or type


Diuretics


Type of Interaction


Potentiation due to Potassium-depleting effects effects


Signs and Symptoms


Confusion, weakness, irregular heartbeat


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Drug Name or type

Hypoglycemic agents

Type of Interaction

Potentiation

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Drug Name or type

All Drugs

Type of Interaction

Reduced effectiveness due to binding with drug

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Herb Name

Bilberry: Vaccinium myrtillus

Drug Name or type

Anticoagulants

Type of Interaction

Potentiation at high doses

Signs and Symptoms

Increased bleeding time

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Potentiation means increasing the effect of the drug beyond what was intended in prescribing.


Drugs means Rx or Over-the-counter Western Pharma allopathic medicines.

Herbs means things are natural and aren't manufactured, things like Mint or Arsenic.

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Some Useful Links:

http://www.webmd.com/medical_information/drug_and_herb/default.htm

http://www.anesthesia.wisc.edu/Clinic/providerinfo/herbals.html

http://seniorhealth.about.com/b/a/162320.htm

http://www.cancersupportivecare.com/herbal.html

http://www.abc.net.au/health/cguides/alternative.htm






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