Many people may still be unaware that certain herbal medicines can have potentially dangerous interactions with other drugs.
New research published in the journal 'BMC Medicine' reveals that many over-the-counter herbal products do not contain any of the key information required for safe use.
It comes after Dublin coroner Brian Farrell warned of the dangers of using the herbal tea known as Kratom with other substances following the death of a 21-year-old who purchased herbal products on the internet.
The young man, from Dublin, was found snoring loudly at home on the couch at 1.30am on May 10, 2009.
He was taken by ambulance to St Vincent's hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Dr Farrell recorded a cause of death of cardio-respiratory failure due to the combined toxic effects of a combination of carisoprodol, which is used for the relief of muscular and skeletal pain, sedative drugs and mitragynine, which is an ingredient of Kratom tea.
Source: Irish Independent, 22/08/2011
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