Internal Bleeding Risk From Camomile Plus Blood-Thinners
May 9th 2006
Using camomile products may be risky for patients on blood-thinning medication for heart disease. 
This warning comes after a Canadian woman experienced severe internal haemorrhaging when she drank camomile tea and used camomile lotion while taking the blood-thinning drug warfarin.
Researchers at McGill University, Montreal, Canada report the case in 25 April issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal. They explain that the 70-year old patient was admitted to the McGill University hospital with multiple internal haemorrhages, which later healed safely. The doctors believe the incident was due to camomile products.
Dr Louise Pilote of McGill University said: "Warfarin is an effective and reliable anti-coagulant and as a result is used commonly.
"We are aware of several herbal products that should not be taken with warfarin, such as garlic, onion and ginger, but this is the first time we have documented a life-threatening reaction when combined with camomile."
The researchers explain that warfarin is derived from coumarin, a chemical compound with anti-coagulant properties found in many plants, including camomile. Therefore, there is a potential risk of the herb increasing the action of the drug.
"It seems the camomile acted synergistically with the warfarin in this case," said Dr Pilote. "Although this is a rare case, it highlights the potential dangers of mixing herbal remedies with physician prescribed medications."
Patient education on the potential risk of taking camomile products while being treated with warfarin is necessary to avoid such occurrences, the researchers conclude.
Can. Med. Assoc. J., Apr 2006; Vol. 174, pp.1281-82
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