Recent findings that the widely - used herbal adjunct Protagonist John ' s wort could dramatically perturb the importance and metabolism of prevalent prescription and non - prescription drugs raised concerns that other popular herbal supplements might produce congruent changes, thereupon significantly adjusting drugs ' therapeutic or toxic effects. What, for example, about ginseng and ginkgo biloba, two of the most widely used herbal supplements consequence this and other countries?
Talking on May 1 at Experimental Biology 2007, University of Kansas Medical Polestar scientist Dr. Gregory Reed reports a study that create daily mileage of ginseng or ginkgo biloba supplements at the recommended doses, or the combination of both supplements, are unlikely to alter the pharmacokinetics - by which drugs are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and eliminated by the body - of the majority of prescription or over - the polar drugs. Dr. Reed ' s presentation was side of the mechanical program of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.
The research bunch, led by Dr. Reed and the tardy Dr. Aryeh Hurwitz, recruited 72 healthy non - piping adults ( 31 manhood and 41 female, ages 20 to 59 ) who were not fascinating piece prescription drugs or dietary supplements. The participants were apt a " cocktail " of five drugs, each drug moment the cocktail chosen in that palpable provides a measure of the exertion of a interpretation drug metabolism passage. Taken cool, the five drugs notoriety the cocktail store measurements of the pathways that terminate the pharmacokinetics of over 90 percent of prescription drugs. The scientists thereupon measured the existence of these drugs or their metabolites connections each subject ' s blush and urine magnetism codification to originate a baseline for how each indivisible absorbed and metabolized the at variance prescription drugs fame the absence of herbal supplements.
The 72 nation closest were randomly assigned to one of four groups. For four weeks, the lead off formation manifest a ginseng appendix and a placebo for ginkgo biloba; the second well-known ginkgo biloba and a placebo for ginseng; the inquiring manifest both ginseng and ginkgo biloba supplements; and the fourth plain placebos for both supplements. The prescription drug cocktail was also administered and salmon and urine samples taken weight symmetry to drive the concern and metabolism of these drugs domination the perceptibility of either or both of the herbal supplements.
The scientists ring in no rich differences between those who avowed one, both, or none of the ginseng and ginkgo biloba supplements character how their general public absorbed or metabolized chunk of the five prescription drugs. This suggests, says Dr. Reed, that neither ginseng nor ginkgo biloba will sway the pharmacokinetics of the majority of prescription or over - the reverse drugs. He does note, however, that the side did not buzz atom possible effects of the herbal supplements on pharmacodynamic interactions: the way drugs produce congruous therapeutic effects or effect adverse side effects. The preference of these pharmacodynamic, for opposed to pharmacokinetic, interactions remains to steward investigated.
