3 Common Mistakes Made when Taking Herbal Remedies

The pervasive myth is that herbal remedies, since they’re au naturel, are inherently safe to consume. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Like with most forms of medication, herbal remedies can’t guarantee health 100 percent, and in some cases, may even worsen your health conditions if you make the surprisingly common mistakes described below:

1. Interaction: Individuals taking herbal remedies and drug medication should be aware that herbal remedies often interact with over-the-counter drugs (and other herb supplements) to bring about numerous adverse effects. Some remedies can even interact with various food beverages. Take, for example, chamomile tea, which is seen as relatively harmless. What most people don’t know is that a number of items, including but not to aspirin, propanolol, tacrin and anticoagulants, interact with chamomile tea to bring about harmful effects. In one devastating case report published in the April 2006 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, a 70 year old woman who was being treated with the drug warfarin was rushed to the hospital due to internal bleeding after having used chamomile tea and body lotions to alleviate cold symptoms. This just goes to show that the sweetest tea, combined with enough table spoons of salt, can start to taste unbearable. It is always advisable to consult with your doctor before starting herbal and drug medication side by side.

2. Dependency: Too much of a good thing is a bad thing, and it is the same with herbs. “Herbal dependency” is a term that means just what you’d think it means: you’re so used to taking herbal remedies to alleviate pain or discomfort that without those remedies, your body ceases to function. You become dependent on the supplements. This commonly happens with herbal laxatives and other herbs used to relieves symptoms such as bowel movements, headaches, and nausea. Take aloe or rhubarb, for example, which are used to smooth out bowel movements. As soon as you stop taking herbal remedies, your bowel starts acting up again – they’ve forgotten how to function properly on their own. It’s the same with herbal sleep aids such as valerian. As soon as you stop taking it, you can’t seem to sleep anymore. Although taking herbal remedies indulgently and without restraint can have real bodily side-effects, a lot of the addiction is psychological – just goes to show that humans can get used to anything. It is for this reason exactly that you should use herbal remedies for only a limited time to avoid becoming dependent – mix up herbs that have the same effect (for example, use aromatherapy or take hops as an alternative to valerian to help you sleep better). If you’re already dependent on herbal remedies, you should contact a health professional who can help you wean off the dependency on herbs.

3. Medical Procedures: For a number of reasons, the first and foremost being the chance of adverse interaction as noted above, it is important to let your doctor know about what type of herbal medication you’re taking, even if you think they are relatively safe. A survey published in the Journal of Family Practice found that there were several reasons that patients did not inform doctors of taking herbal medications. Patients thought that the herbs were relatively safe or that the doctor wouldn’t be interested or wouldn’t know enough about herbal medication to comment. However, this could lead to life-threatening situations. Herbs or supplements can interact with anti-coagulants and anesthetics to bring about complications like dizziness and severe bleeding. You must always inform your doctor of what sort of herbal medication regime you’re on before starting any kind of new treatment – this goes double for surgery, in which case, the doctor will probably advise you to stop taking herbal remedies two-three weeks before the surgery.

The bottom line is even something as “natural” as herbal remedies can have decidedly unnatural and painful effects. Consult your primary medical caregiver before starting on any herbal remedy regime – as the wise once said, it is never inadvisable to err on the side of caution. The next time you reach for that harmless herbal tea, investigate twice to make sure it won’t send you spiraling down into ill health valley.