Veterinarians are becoming more aware and accepting of the growing trend in society to embrace alternative and complementary approaches to modern, conventional medicine. This holistic medicine can serve as a useful and important adjunct for providing successful medical care. One popular area of holism is herbal or botanical medicine, and many of our clients use herbs and other supplements themselves and give them to their pets. However, not all of these “natural” or “health food” products are beneficial or safe, especially when used by the uninformed or given in conjunction with certain drugs.

As many drugs are also derived from plants or synthesized to match their structure, interactions can occur between them and certain plant-derived herbal products. These combinations can be both beneficial (synergistic), and harmful (antagonistic) or may have no interactive effect at all.

As medical professionals taking a medical history, we need to review any use of herbal or other supplements taken by our animal patients. Herbs interact with drugs pharmacokinetically and pharmacodynamically, although currently available data are incomplete and much is anecdotal. The table below summarizes some specific herbs and their potential drug interactions: