Some Herbal Remedies Should Not be Taken

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--August 31, 1998--Chaparral, lobelia, and yohimbe are among herbal remedies that can trigger serious side effects or toxic reactions "and should not be taken," advises the current (September) issue of New Choices: Living Even Better After 50.

However, most herbal remedies are safe and tend to have fewer side effects than their pharmaceutical counterparts, the magazine adds.

Here are the five herbs that, according to New Choices, should not be used:

Chaparral (Larrea tridentata). Also known as the creosote bush, chapparal is marketed as a tea, tablet, or capsule.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), chaparral has been associated with acute nonviral hepatitis (rapidly developing liver damage), sometimes irreversible.

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale). Available as a tea, tablet, capsule, or tincture, this leafy plant has been linked to obstruction of blood flow from the liver, with potential liver scarring (cirrhosis).

Germander (Teucrium genus). Germander is a common name for a group of plants contained in medicinal teas, elixirs, capsules, or tablets. It is mixed with other herbs in products to treat obesity. In France, at least 27 cases of acute nonviral hepatitis have been associated with germander products.

Lobelia (Lobelia inflata). Also known as Indian tobacco, lobelia has been associated with depression of nervous-system function. Doses as low as 50 milligrams (mg) of the dried herb or one milliliter of the tincture can result in respiratory depression, rapid heart rate, and even coma.

Yohimbe (Pausinystalia yohimbe). A number of body-building products contain this tree bark. New Choices reports that the FDA has linked it to kidney failure, seizures, and death.

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