Ignorance regarding herbal medicine

Raspberry leaves are a type of herb that should be avoided if one has previously had a caesarean or problems with haemorrhaging.

- We don’t know enough about herbal medicine to be aware of the risks involved or the possible side effects – especially during pregnancy, says pharmacist Lone Holst.

- Many expectant mothers believe that herbal medicine is safer than normal prescription drugs, as it is made from plants. Prescription medicine is looked upon as unnatural and sinister, says pharmacist Lone Holst of the University of Bergen, who recently received her doctor’s degree.

She says that expectant mothers use herbal medicine a lot.  A study she carried out in connection with her doctor’s degree showed that 58% of those interviewed had used herbal medicine during their pregnancy.  The corresponding number for Norway is 36%.

The study carried out in England, showed that use of herbal medicine increased with the age of the woman, and also that higher education tended to have the same effect.

- Women buy nearly all herbal medicines at health food stores.  The people who work at these stores are not required to have any relevant qualifications for the job. Women tend to ask family and friends about which medicaments they should use, and there is no reason to believe that family and friends are competent to give such advice, says Holst.

The doctor is not informed

75 percent of these women do not inform their doctor or midwife about the preparations they are using, something Holst finds alarming.

- If it has an effect, it can have an influence on other medicines. For example, if one takes a prescribed sedative and valerian in addition, then the side effects will be much stronger, says Holst.

She says that little scientific knowledge is available regarding herbal medicine and as a result, the information on side effects is haphazard.

- Prescription medicine must be tested and approved, and information on side effects must be provided. Herbal remedies do not have to be approved, just registered.

In addition, medical personnel are not informed about the side effects, as most expectant mothers neglect to inform them about the natural preparations they are using. So the side effects are not registered and cannot form a basis for future reference.

Died after taking herbal cure

Lone Holst’s opponent during her doctor’s degree dissertation was the internationally renowned British scientist, Denise Tiran, who is an expert on this subject, and who worked as a midwife during the 1980s. According to her, there is a lack of qualified midwives in Great Britain and an increase in unqualified maternity staff.

- They use a lot of complementary medicine, which can be dangerous if one doesn’t know enough about it, she says.

Tiran also uses complimentary medicine in her job as midwife, and tells of a case in Great Britain where she was called in to give an expert opinion.

- A pregnant woman was given nutmeg salvia, mixed with brandy, in a dose that was four times the normal amount.  This can have caused the death of the baby, she says.

Can cause haemorrhaging

Tiran is alarmed by the amount of faulty information concerning herbs and natural preparations, found not only on the internet but also in specialist stores.

- Midwives don’t always know what they are talking about either. Raspberry leaves are for example much used to ease delivery, but if one has had a caesarean or haemorrhaged on a previous occasion, it can make matters worse. And pregnant women who have epilepsy should not be given any sort of complimentary treatment, not even massage, says Tiran.

She does however think that complimentary medicine is here to stay, but wants more training and correct information to be made available in the health sector.

Not scaremongering propaganda

Lone Holst approves of this.  She thinks that many users of herbal medicine are so convinced that “natural” means “risk free”, that this type of information is perceived as scaremongering.

-I am not sure how we shall get by this hurdle, but healthcare personnel must learn more about the use of herbs.  We must find a way to get the information out to people, that won’t make them bristle.

She says that even if prescription medicine is thought of as “synthetic”, there are several medicines that are based on herbs. The heart medicine digitalis is for example based on the foxglove.

- Most people have this in their garden, but it’s not something we mix in our salad.  A lot of natural substances are dangerous, but prescription drugs have at least been approved.

Article from På Høyden.