Herbal medicines: influences on blood coagulation

Herbal medicinal products (HMPs) are increasingly popular. This raises conc ern about the possibilities of unwanted actions of such treatments on blood coagulation or interactions with anticoagulation therapy. This article aim s to summarize our knowledge as to such effects. Both direct and indirect e vidence was found for HMPs to affect the plasmatic coagulation cascade as w ell as the function of platelets. The HMPs most frequently implicated were danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza), St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum), dong quai (Angelica sinensis, et al.) and ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba). It seems that our present knowledge in this area is woefully incomplete. Vis a vis the p opularity of HMPs, more systematic research is urgently needed.