Interactions Between Conventional and Herbal Medicinal Products

Drug interactions are a commonplace occurrence, and with the majority of pharmaceuticals, such interactions are well characterized. These interactions may be beneficial, with augmentation of the effects of one of the agents used. However, interactions with adverse outcomes are also common. Harmful interactions can result in therapeutic failure of a drug or in a toxic outcome. Just as two drugs can interact, so can complementary products and drugs; such interactions are referred to as “herb-drug interactions” and, like all drug interactions, can be potentially harmful. Herb-drug interactions present their unique additional complications due to the complex and variable nature of the products and their somewhat random use.