Chamomile and Warfarin Don't Mix
Tuesday May 9, 2006
In a recent edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Montreal doctors describe the case of a 70-year-old woman who developed severe internal bleeding after drinking plenty of chamomile tea for a sore throat and using chamomile skin lotion.
The woman was being treated with the drug warfarin for a heart condition. Warfarin thins blood, which reduces the risk of blood clots and stroke. It is derived from coumarin, a naturally-occurring compound with blood-thinning properties. It’s found in many plants, including chamomile.
It’s believed that the chamomile tea (and possibly the lotion) acted synergistically with the warfarin to cause bleeding.
Chamomile tea is used for a range of health conditions. More about chamomile.
Source: Canadian Medical Association Journal, April 25, 2006.
The woman was being treated with the drug warfarin for a heart condition. Warfarin thins blood, which reduces the risk of blood clots and stroke. It is derived from coumarin, a naturally-occurring compound with blood-thinning properties. It’s found in many plants, including chamomile.
It’s believed that the chamomile tea (and possibly the lotion) acted synergistically with the warfarin to cause bleeding.
Chamomile tea is used for a range of health conditions. More about chamomile.
Source: Canadian Medical Association Journal, April 25, 2006.
Comments
Would this also apply to coumadin?
My understanding is that both warfarin and coumadin are the same drug but different brand names and work in the same way. So the answer is “yes”
I was also told never to mix the brands - stick to one or the other.
You also need to be careful if taking vitamins or herbal supplements as some of these can either enhance or reduce the effect of the drug.
Ray