For that reason, the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to require a warning label on those products.
St John’s wort is a flowering plant often promoted for its supposed antidepressant properties. But CSPI said that individuals who take it with prescription antidepressants may unwittingly be counteracting the very treatment they are seeking. Similarly, women taking St John’s wort and oral contraceptives may have unplanned pregnancies.
According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health, St John’s wort may also interact with other potentially life-saving treatments, including heart medications, drugs used to control HIV infection, drugs used to treat cancer, and seizure-control drugs.
Writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, former FDA commissioner, Jane Henney, warned that St John’s wort “interacts with many drugs that are used to treat heart disease, depression, seizures, certain cancers, as well as drugs that prevent transplant rejection and pregnancy.”
CSPI senior nutritionist, David Schardt, said: “Consumers take St John’s wort and other herbal supplements based on their belief that they will benefit in some way, and perhaps some will. But all consumers need to know that St John’s wort and many commonly prescribed drugs simply don’t mix.”
The petition suggests the following warning label: Caution: St John’s wort interacts with some commonly used prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Do not use this supplement if you are taking contraceptives, antidepressants, immunosuppressants (such as cyclosporine), anticoagulants, Digoxin, HIV medicine, blood thinners, seizure-control medicine, cancer medicine, or any other medications. The petition also asks that this warning appear in a prominent black box on the package label.
According to CSPI, the current advice on labels is inconsistent and fails to adequately warn consumers of the risks associated with St John’s wort. Bluebonnet Herbals St John’s Wort Extract does not have a warning label.
Source: CSPI
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024