Thrifty Mommy

Be Informed Of The Effects of Herbal Supplements

by Karen on September 24th, 2006

Herbal supplements may be the thrifty way to go to helping with your ailments, but it’s important to be educated on what you’re using.  According to CBN.com these herbs are active compounds–not merely harmless plants without a purpose.   The biggest area of concern involves surgery. 

Did you know that many—if not most—herbs could cause surgical complications? Because of this major issue, the American Medical Association issued the following guidelines for herbs, outlining which need to be stopped up to a week prior to surgery, as well as their possible complications:

● Bleeding complications: Garlic (1 week), Ginseng (1 week), Ginkgo Biloba (1 day)
● Heart and blood pressure instability: Ephedra (1 week)
● Too much sedation: Kava (1 day), Valerian (5–7 days)
● Drug interactions and bleeding: St. John’s Wort (5 days)
● Immunity suppression (if taken for 8 weeks or more): Echinacea (5–7 days)

There is some other good information from this article.  You might want to check it out to be more informed on the effects of herbal supplements. 

This information was taken from “Herbal Supplements: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly” by Carrie Carter, M.D..  She is also the author of A Woman’s Guide to Good Health.

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