Herbal Interactions Can Endanger Patients.

• Position: Brief Article

The tendency among consumers to equate "herbal" with "harmless" could put those who take herbal supplements at risk for unexpected complications if they have surgery, warns Charles H. McLeskey, chair of anesthesiology and director of perioperative services at Scott & White Hospital of Texas A & M University, College Station. "Millions of people are taking many herbal medications, and we don't know enough about these products, their effects, and interactions." For that reason, surgical patients should make sure their anesthesiologist knows all of the medications they are taking, including herbal supplements and over-the-counter remedies, and anesthesiologists should ask specifically about herbals in planning anesthesia care. "Some herbals can interact with anesthetics and have adverse effects, while others pose potential risks regardless of their interaction with anesthesia. In either case, the potential for harm warrants precautions."

In a survey of surgical patients, McLeskey told the American Society of Anesthesiologists, among all herbs consumed, the most commonly taken was gingko biloba (32%), which...