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COLUMBIA, South Carolina -- Herbal/Prescription Interaction Awareness Month is observed in July each year. It aims to raise awareness about the potentially harmful interactions between

dietary supplements with prescription medicine. “Patients should be informing their healthcare providers regarding any nutritional supplements they take to ensure there will not be a

negative impact on their health,” said Amy Wortkoetter, an ambulatory care pharmacy resident at the Columbia VA Health Care System Dorn campus. “For example, seemingly harmless natural

supplements such as ginger, garlic, or ginkgo biloba interact with blood thinners such as warfarin and may increase the risk of bleeding.” Throughout human history, many civilizations have

used plants and their extracts for medicinal purposes. This practice is known as herbal medicine. Herbal medicine has a lengthy history, dating back to the ancient Chinese and Egyptian

civilizations as well as the indigenous people of the Americas. Herbal medicines and alternative medicines have seen a spike in popularity in the past few decades. Many people who are

looking for all-encompassing answers for their well-being have embraced the usage of natural goods as a supplemental method to traditional healthcare. But this rising popularity also

emphasizes how important it is to comprehend the possible interactions between prescription drugs and herbal medicines in greater detail.  The 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education

Act stated that dietary supplements are “a product (other than tobacco) intended to supplement the diet that bears or contains one or more of the following dietary ingredients: a vitamin; a

mineral; an herb or other botanical; an amino acid; a dietary substance for use by man to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake; or a concentrate, metabolite,

constituent, extract, or combination of any ingredient described.” However, dietary supplements can be dangerous to consume in a number of situations.   Herbal Prescription Interaction

Awareness Month is an important opportunity to remind people and healthcare providers alike of the possible interactions that may occur while using prescription drugs and herbal medicines.

To give their patients the best advice possible, medical professionals must remain current on the most recent findings and research, and patients must take the initiative to inform their

healthcare team when they take herbal supplements.