‘Someone emails a list of herbs and I have no idea what they are’: GP’s struggle with traditional Chinese medicine
Associate Professor Vicki Kotsirilos says one of her patients had uncontrolled hypertension that she traced back to licorice root.
Increasing use of traditional Chinese medicine is putting more patients at risk of dangerous interactions with prescription drugs, a GP expert warns.
Traditional Chinese medicines like licorice root, St John’s wort, ginseng, garlic supplements and ginkgo biloba can all cause serious interactions, says Associate Professor Vicki Kotsirilos — and those are just the ones she knows.
The Melbourne GP said only one in five patients disclosed their use of alternative medicines to their doctor, mostly because they thought “natural means safe”.
“This is a recipe for disaster if, as doctors, we don’t encourage them to talk to us about what they are taking,” she told AusDoc.
