Interactions of herbal remedies with prescription cardiovascular medications

Herbal medicinal use has increased dramatically in recent years. The increa sing use of these products is of concern, and their use may not be recogniz ed by the treating physicians. Many of these remedies have potential for ad verse interactions with medications commonly prescribed for various cardiov ascular disorders. Despite their widespread use, limited data exists regard ing the efficacy of herbs such as echinacea, garlic, ginseng, gingko, ephed ra, and St. John's wort. Of special concern is the ability of herbal remedi es to potentiate effects of prescription drugs with a narrow margin of safe ty. An increasing awareness of the potential for harmful effects of herbal remedies has given the impetus for aggressive interventions to inquire abou t the use of these agents and systematic reporting of adverse events emanat ing from their use. This review briefly summarizes important adverse intera ctions of commonly used herbal remedies with prescription cardiovascular me dications. Coronary Artery Dis 12:581-584 (C) 2001 Lippincott Williams & Wi lkins.