Every day, millions of people combine herbal preparations with prescription drugs, in some cases with disastrous results. Almost one in three Americans takes herbal preparations and often the individual's treating physician doesn't know.

In spite of this explosion in use, herbal remedies are not new. They’ve been used for thousands of years. Plant medicine, made from leaves, flowers, roots and stems of plants has provided relief from a host of diseases and ills throughout human history.

Although modern man is “discovering” the health benefits of herbals, primitive man relied almost exclusively on plant medicine. Today, traditional doctors are often dismissive of the benefits of herbal remedies and many are ignorant of the harm combinations of herbal preparations and prescribed drugs may cause.

It’s up to the patient to take charge in these situations. Suppose, for example, you’re taking one of the anticoagulant drugs (blood thinners) such as Coumadin, Ticlid or even aspirin and you decide to add ginkgo biloba as a memory enhancer without telling your doctor. An ancient remedy used in China, ginkgo’s blood thinning properties, combined with those of the drugs, will increase your risks of severe bleeding and stroke. Avoid the herbals dong quai and ginseng also if you’re taking blood thinners.

Popular herb St. John’s Wort helps relieve mild to moderate depression, but don’t mix it with prescription antidepressants, especially the serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as Prozac, Serzone, Luvox, Paxil and Zoloft. This is a case of getting too much of a good thing, which can be a bad thing. You may wind up feeling weak, tired and confused if you combine St. John’s Wort with antidepressants, hardly the results you want if you’re already depressed.

Be aware that one of the world’s most popular herbals, echinacea, which fires up the immune system, doesn’t mix well with corticosteroids or any other drug that suppresses the immune response. In addition, echinacea hides in many preparations such as cough drops and muti-vitamins, so train yourself to read labels.

Can’t sleep at night? Like millions of people, you may be taking the herb valerian to help you nod off. Word of caution--people who take herbal preparations are often ingesting prescription or over the counter drugs as well. Combining valerian with prescription and non-prescription sleep aids and/or alcohol can create a dangerous state of oversedation.

The vitamin and herb industry is largely unregulated; manufacturers can make extravagant claims that have not been disproven with research. Often, warnings about mixing herbs and drugs do not show up on labels. Pharmacists and doctors aren’t yet up to speed on what the dangerous combinations are. Too often, these traditional health care practitioners don’t even ask if the patient is already taking herbal preparations or vitamins.

Patients have a responsibility to bring up the subject. Don’t worry if your doctor scoffs at alternative healing practices; it’s your health and well being that’s on the line. Use your physician's knowledge to work out the best treatment plan and to avoid making dangerous assumptions about herb and drug combinations. Especially prior to surgery, tell your doctor what you’re taking. Just because herbals come from nature, don’t assume they can’t hurt you, especially with the double whammy you may get with the wrong combinations.

Consult a qualified herbalist for more information about herbal and drug contraindications. Buy your herbal products from a reputable dealer who is knowledgeable on this subject.

Use the Internet to gain in-depth knowledge about dangerous combinations of herbs and drugs. The Good Housekeeping Web site has an excellent article and accompanying chart. Use a good search engine and type in “drug interactions by drug” on the search line; this will take you to an awesome A to Z index of hundreds of drugs and how they interact with commonly used herbal preparations. The Physician’s Desk Reference (PDR) for Herbal Medicines, providing in-depth information on 700 herbal supplements, is an indispensable resource. Log onto Medscape, a Web site for medical professionals that features a number of articles on the dangers of mixing herbal therapies with prescription drugs.