Herbal Products Can Cause Serious Side Effects
The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration neither tests nor
approves herbal products. So, little is
known about their safety. In fact,
many herbal products can cause dangerous
side effects in people with certain
health problems. Some become
risky when mixed with other medications.
Here are just a few examples:
- Echinacea caused asthma attacks in some people with asthma.
- St. John’s wort weakened the effectiveness of irinotecan, a cancer drug.
- Feverfew, garlic, ginkgo, ginger and ginseng can be unsafe when mixed with blood thinners.
- Chamomile can cause allergic reactions in people with ragweed allergies.
- Kelp taken with thyroid medication may cause an overactive thyroid.
