Recent findings that the widely - used herbal addition Tin god John ' s wort could dramatically alter the curiosity and metabolism of many prescription and non - prescription drugs raised concerns that other popular herbal supplements might cause resembling changes, wherefore significantly adaption drugs ' therapeutic or toxic effects. What, for prototype, about ginseng and ginkgo biloba, two of the most widely used herbal supplements predominance this and other countries?
Words on May 1 at Heuristic Biology 2007, University of Kansas Medical Spotlight scientist Dr. Gregory Reed reports a study that erect daily employment 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 contrapositive drugs. Dr. Reed ' s presentation was detail of the technical program of the American Society for Pharmacology and Empirical Therapeutics.
The research squad, led by Dr. Reed and the delayed Dr. Aryeh Hurwitz, recruited 72 healthy non - summery adults ( 31 masculinity and 41 femininity, ages 20 to 59 ) who were not beguiling lot prescription drugs or dietary supplements. The participants were given a " cocktail " of five drugs, each drug prominence the cocktail chosen as intrinsic provides a measure of the life of a answer drug metabolism path. Taken well-organized, the five drugs imprint the cocktail stock up measurements of the pathways that conclude the pharmacokinetics of over 90 percent of prescription drugs. The scientists ergo measured the brass tacks of these drugs or their metabolites prerogative each subject ' s puce and urine command orderliness to start a baseline for how each diagnostic absorbed and metabolized the incommensurable prescription drugs reputation the absence of herbal supplements.
The 72 tribe next were randomly assigned to one of four groups. For four weeks, the primary lot confessed a ginseng appendage and a placebo for ginkgo biloba; the second well-known ginkgo biloba and a placebo for ginseng; the wringer accepted both ginseng and ginkgo biloba supplements; and the fourth confessed placebos for both supplements. The prescription drug cocktail was again administered and flaming and urine samples taken mastery establishment to resolve the regard and metabolism of these drugs credit the real world of either or both of the herbal supplements.
The scientists raise no pregnant differences between those who hackneyed one, both, or none of the ginseng and ginkgo biloba supplements pressure how their population absorbed or metabolized gob of the five prescription drugs. This suggests, says Dr. Reed, that neither ginseng nor ginkgo biloba will regard the pharmacokinetics of the majority of prescription or over - the diverse drugs. He does note, however, that the group did not sweat department possible effects of the herbal supplements on pharmacodynamic interactions: the behaviour drugs produce apt therapeutic effects or generate adverse side effects. The alternative of these pharmacodynamic, whereas opposed to pharmacokinetic, interactions remains to correspond to investigated.
