Another reminder that herbal remedies, although derived from natural ingredients, should always be taken in consultation with your physician, especially if you are taking other medications:
“The researchers aim to produce a systematic overview of the effects different herbal remedies could have in combination with different drugs. The methods they are using will reveal whether the herbal remedies need to queue up with different drugs on their way through our bodies.
It is when the drugs and the herbs are fighting for space in the body’s systems that the effect of the drugs is influenced. This competition mainly takes place in the intestines and the liver. The intestines regulate how quickly the drugs are absorbed into the body. The liver consists of enzymes that regulate how quickly medication is broken down and filtrated from your body.
”We all know what it is like when there is a queue in front of a door,” Nilsen says. “People are piling up, and the strongest or most impertinent ones get in first. It is the same with herbal remedies and medication standing in front of the same gate and wanting to go through.”
If the herbal remedy is the strongest, the medication will move more slowly to the place where it is needed. The result is reduced or delayed effect. If it is the filtration that is restrained, the medication could accumulate and cause a stronger effect, perhaps with adverse effects.
The testing is performed in different test systems in the laboratory. Cells from intestines and the liver are fed with a combination of herbal remedies and medication, and then it is possible to measure who wins the battle of the cells’ favour.”
Always tell your doctor all the herbal remedies you are taking.
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