Are there negative effects of taking herbal supplements?
Heart Rhythm Case Reports, an official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society, has published a research report on the negative effects of natural herbal supplements.
"More and more people are taking herbal supplements for their potential benefits. However, their 'normal' nature can be misleading, as these preparations can have serious adverse side effects on their own or," says Dr. If combined with other supplements or medications, its use should not be taken lightly, and dosing recommendations should always be respected."
The study looked at a 56-year-old woman who was admitted to the emergency department after experiencing dizziness and fainting without warning. Originating in the ventricles, the QT interval is significantly long, which means that the heart's electrical system takes longer than usual to recharge between beats.
Doctors were able to pinpoint the cause of the condition as the herbal supplements she was taking to help her deal with the stressful work-life balance.
She had started a regimen of six times the recommended dose of hemp oil four months ago and recently added berberine to the mix. All supplements were stopped during her hospital stay, which gradually decreased her QT interval until it normalized after five days.
At her three-month follow-up, she reported no new episodes of dizziness or fainting, and her ECG remained within the normal range, and with no other etiological factors, her return to normal strongly established that the diagnosis linked the supplement to the arrhythmia.
According to experts, the popularity of herbal supplements has grown rapidly in recent years, especially those containing CBD, which is available without a prescription. CBD or CBD has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-epileptic, analgesic, anxiolytic, antipsychotic, and immunomodulatory properties.
It is supplied as raw materials or as ready-to-use products (such as cosmetics, tobacco substitutes, scented oils), and does not contain THC, which causes the psychoactive effect of cannabis.
Therefore, it is not subject to scrutiny by drug regulators.
Berberine, found in the roots and stem bark of many medicinal plants, is used frequently in traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda to treat infections, diarrhea, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
Dr. Bucklantis notes that herbal supplement preparations are widely viewed as harmless, largely unregulated.
"The exact composition can vary greatly from one distributor to another, and the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of these substances are not well known. There is limited data on their efficacy, toxicity and potential for interaction. As a result, it is not always possible to predict their negative consequences," says Baklantis.