Experts warn of risks when Chinese remedies are combined with prescriptions
A health report highlights potentially serious interactions between concentrated Chinese remedies and Western medicines, particularly blood thinners. Medical experts say risk depends on the product, dose, duration and patient, and caution that laboratory evidence does not always prove an effect in humans. Professional review is advised.
Combining traditional Chinese remedies with prescription medicines can create avoidable risks, particularly when concentrated herbs are used alongside drugs with powerful or narrow effects, according to medical experts cited in a South China Morning Post report. One case involved an elderly woman with a mechanical heart valve who was taking warfarin, a blood thinner. After she began using danshen, a Chinese herb marketed for “blood circulation”, she developed severe bleeding complications.
Dr Raymond Wong Siu-ming said the case illustrated the dangers of combining remedies without medical oversight. Dr Phoebe Zhou of Western Sydney University said that a product’s availability without a prescription did not automatically make it safe. She said risk depended on its ingredients, dose, duration of use and the individual taking it.
People using several medicines, or those with liver or kidney problems, may face particular concerns. Potential interactions have been reported in medicines for diabetes and cancer, as well as antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs. However, Dr Zhou stressed that many reports arise from laboratory or animal research, meaning a possible interaction is not necessarily established in people.
The report also cited St John’s wort, which can speed up the liver’s breakdown of some medicines and reduce the effectiveness of birth-control pills, blood thinners, antidepressants and transplant drugs. Concentrated green-tea extracts may affect absorption of some blood-pressure medicines, while goldenseal may reduce metformin’s effectiveness. Warfarin was identified as especially sensitive to changes.
The Hong Kong Hospital Authority classifies its combination with danshen as moderate risk and recommends avoiding the pairing where possible. If use is unavoidable, Dr Wong said blood-clotting tests may be needed two or three times a week. Experts distinguish occasional mild teas or soups from raw-herb decoctions, concentrated granules and extracts, while warning that even familiar products should not be assumed risk-free.
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