Interactions between herbal medicines and the anticoagulant warfarin

补充药物在我们的社会中被广泛使用。尽管许多产品从未经过系统的有效性或安全性测试，但广告中的产品被宣传为安全的。人们对草药与传统药物相互作用的可能性知之甚少，这可能会导致潜在的严重后果。临床报告表明，华法林和草药之间存在潜在的相互作用。作为治疗的一部分，接受华法林治疗的患者与华法林的相互作用可能危及生命。识别和避免与华法林的重大药物相互作用可以减少因出血过多而引起的患者问题，减少住院时间，并减少对频繁血液监测的需要。目前的研究设计还将通过了解可能的草药-药物相互作用的机制，提供对可能与其他药物相互作用的有价值的见解。

Complementary medicines are used widely in our community. Products are advertised as safe despite the fact that many have never been systematically tested for either efficacy or safety. Little is known about the potential for herbal medicines to interact with conventional medicines which may lead to potentially serious consequences. Clinical reports suggest that there is potential for an interaction between warfarin and herbal medicines. Interactions with warfarin in patients receiving the drug as part of their therapy can be life threatening. Identifying and avoiding significant drug interactions with warfarin can reduce patient problems caused by excessive bleeding, reduce length of hospital stay and decrease the need for frequent blood monitoring. The present study design will also provide a valuable insight into possible interactions with other medicines by understanding the mechanism of possible herb-drug interactions.