Can i take goldenseal with antibiotics

European settlers learned of the herb from the Iroquois and other tribes and quickly adopted goldenseal as a part of early colonial medical care. In the early s, an herbalist named Samuel Thompson created a wildly popular system of medicine that swept the country. Thompson spoke of goldenseal as a nearly magical cure for many conditions. His evangelism led to a dramatic upsurge in demand, followed by over-collection and decimation of the wild plant.

Prices skyrocketed and then collapsed when Thompsonianism faded away. Goldenseal has passed through several more booms and busts.

Today, it is again in great demand, but now it is under intentional cultivation. Goldenseal contains a substance called berberine that has been found to inhibit or kill many microorganisms, including fungi, protozoa and bacteria.

However, there is no direct scientific evidence that goldenseal is effective for any of these purposes. Some studies have shown that goldenseal or berberine may be helpful in defeating bacteria associated with infections like MRSA, an infection resistant to many antibiotics, or viruses like the H1N1 flu virus, but these studies were done on cells in a laboratory setting and don't necessarily mean it would be effective treating an infection in the body.

Similarly, since berberine is concentrated in the bladder, goldenseal could be useful for bladder infections. Nonetheless, again there is as yet no direct evidence that goldenseal is effective for any of these uses. Extremely weak evidence far too weak to rely upon at all suggests that goldenseal or berberine may be helpful for various heart related conditions, including arrhythmias , congestive heart failure , high cholesterol , diabetes , and high blood pressure.

Goldenseal is frequently combined with the herb echinacea to be taken as a "traditional immune booster" and "antibiotic" for the prevention and treatment of colds.

However, there are three things wrong with this packaging: There is no credible evidence that goldenseal increases immunity. Only one study weakly hints at an immune strengthening effect. Goldenseal was never used traditionally for the common cold. The other myth that has helped drive the sales of goldenseal is the widespread street belief that it can block a positive drug screen.

The origin of this false idea dates back to a work of fiction published in by a pharmacist and author named John Uri Lloyd. In Stringtown on the Pike , a dead man is found to have traces of goldenseal in his stomach. In fact, he had taken goldenseal regularly as a digestive aid, but a toxicology expert mistakes the goldenseal for strychnine, and deduces intentional murder. This work of fiction sufficed to create a folkloric connection between goldenseal and drug testing. Although the goldenseal in the story actually made a drug test come out falsely positive, this has been turned around to become a belief that goldenseal can make urine drug screens come out negative.

A word to the wise: it doesn't work. When used as a topical treatment for minor skin wounds , a sufficient quantity of goldenseal cream, ointment, or powder should be applied to cover the wound. Make sure to clean the wound at least once a day to prevent goldenseal particles from being trapped in the healing tissues. For mouth sores and sore throats, goldenseal tincture is swished or gargled. Goldenseal may also be used as strong tea for this purpose, made by boiling 0.

The herb has a bitter taste. Goldenseal tea is also used as a douche for vaginal yeast infections. Although there are no reports of severe adverse effects attributable to use of goldenseal, this herb has not undergone much safety testing. One study suggests that topical use of goldenseal could cause photosensitivity an increased tendency to react to sun exposure. Goldenseal should not be used by pregnant women because the herb has been reported to cause uterine contractions.

Also, berberine may increase levels of bilirubin and cause genetic damage. Safety in young children, nursing women, or those with severe liver or kidney disease is also not established. Thus goldenseal would theoretically reduce the efficacy of such medications. In a randomized crossover study in 18 healthy subjects given a single dose of losartan 30 mg, berberine administration doubled the ratio of urinary losartan to its active metabolite.

Although the effect of CYP2C9 inhibition on the efficacy of losartan is not clear, inhibitors of CYP2C9 are known to increase warfarin response, thus potentially increasing the bleeding risk if doses are not adjusted.

Although the effect of goldenseal on CYP2C9 requires more study, one should assume that goldenseal can increase warfarin response until clinical studies of the combination are performed.

Other CYP2C9 substrates that might interact with goldenseal include phenytoin as well as several oral antidiabetic agents. Summary Goldenseal is one of the few herbal products for which we have credible clinical information on its interactive properties. The most important of these properties is the ability of goldenseal to inhibit CYP3A4, because so many drugs are CYP3A4 substrates and some of these drugs have substantial toxicity. The ability of goldenseal to inhibit CYP2C9 is still under study, but if it proves to be real, one would expect adverse interactions with warfarin and other CYP2C9 substrates.

Drug Metab Dispos. Repeated administration of berberine inhibits cytochromes P in humans. Pepeljnjak S, Petricic J. The antimicrobic effect of berberine and tinctura berberidis.

Pharmazie ; Bergner P. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing; Rehman J, et al. Increased production of antigen-specific immunoglobulins G and M following in vivo treatment with the medicinal plants Echinacea angustifolia and Hydrastis canadensis. Immunol Lett ; Swanston-Flatt SK, et al. Evaluation of traditional plant treatments for diabetes: Studies in streptozotocin diabetic mice. Acta Diabetol Lat ; Lewin NA, et al, eds.

Chan TY, et al. Chinese herbal medicines revisited: A Hong Kong perspective. Lancet ; Betz JM, et al. Differentiation between goldenseal Hydrastis canadensis L. FDA Science Forum poster abstract. Accessed March 31, Home » Goldenseal for Upper Respiratory Infections. Reprints Share. Music for Postoperative Pain. History and Harvesting Goldenseal Hydrastis canadensis is a member of the buttercup family. Pharmacology The active ingredients in goldenseal are a group of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids, the most abundant of which are berberine and hydrastine.

Mechanism of Action The mode of action of goldenseal and berberine in humans is not understood well. Formulation Goldenseal reportedly enhances the effects of echinacea and is frequently added to other herbal preparations.

Adverse Effects Large doses or prolonged use of goldenseal can cause nausea, vomiting, paresthesia, hypertension, and respiratory failure. Which group of patients should most certainly limit or avoid use of goldenseal? Older men b. Teenagers c. Immunosuppressed adults d. Pregnant women Dr. References 1.