{"id":7518,"date":"2026-07-11T00:29:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T00:29:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edenshealth.de\/behandlung-von-kranksheitsarten\/wechselwirkungen-gefaehrliche-kombinationen\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T11:48:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T11:48:23","slug":"wechselwirkungen-gefaehrliche-kombinationen","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/edenshealth.de\/en\/behandlung-von-krankheitsarten\/wechselwirkungen-gefaehrliche-kombinationen\/","title":{"rendered":"Interactions &amp; dangerous combinations"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Interactions &amp; dangerous combinations<\/h1>\n<p>Natural remedies are effective. And that&#039;s precisely why they can interact with medications, other plants, or foods. &quot;Herbal&quot; doesn&#039;t mean &quot;without effect.&quot; This isn&#039;t a cause for concern, but it&#039;s a good reason to be aware of the most important combinations. Here are the best-documented ones, explained in a friendly way.<\/p>\n<h2 data-short=\"Johanniskraut\">St. John&#039;s wort and medications<\/h2>\n<aside class=\"eh-glance\">\n<div class=\"eh-glance-h\">At a glance<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>St. John&#039;s wort accelerates the breakdown of many medications, including the birth control pill.<\/li>\n<li>Grapefruit can enhance the effects of statins for several days.<\/li>\n<li>Licorice and licorice root raise blood pressure in large quantities.<\/li>\n<li>Do not mix valerian with sedatives or alcohol.<\/li>\n<li>While taking Marcumar: eat green vegetables regularly, do not omit them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<p>St. John&#039;s wort is a wonderful plant for mild mood swings, but it&#039;s also the most potent herb with numerous interactions. Its components stimulate an enzyme in the liver that breaks down many medications more quickly. This makes them less effective, often without you noticing.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#f7fbf2;border-left:4px solid #3a5a40;padding:20px 24px;border-radius:12px;margin:22px 0\">\n<h3>Consultation is mandatory here.<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Birth control pill:<\/strong> Loss of efficacy and breakthrough bleeding are possible.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Blood thinners<\/strong> Like Marcumar: The effect may diminish.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Antidepressants (SSRIs):<\/strong> Together, they can lead to a serotonin excess.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Immunosuppressants<\/strong> after transplantation as well as some HIV and heart medications.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>If you are taking any of these medications, please only use St. John&#039;s wort after a brief consultation with your doctor or pharmacist. This can be clarified in five minutes.<\/p>\n<h2 data-short=\"Ginkgo\">Ginkgo and blood thinners<\/h2>\n<p>Ginkgo has traditionally supported blood circulation. Research on whether it increases the tendency to bleed is inconsistent: Controlled studies with standardized extracts have mostly found no significantly increased risk, but there are individual case reports, and the package inserts of many anticoagulants explicitly mention ginkgo.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, the simple rule is: If you are taking aspirin, warfarin, modern anticoagulants, or SSRIs, briefly mention the combination beforehand. And before a planned surgery or dental procedure, it&#039;s best to mention the ginkgo yourself.<\/p>\n<h2 data-short=\"S\u00fc\u00dfholz\">Licorice and blood pressure or heart medications<\/h2>\n<p>The glycyrrhizin in licorice blocks an enzyme that normally breaks down cortisol. In larger quantities, this causes your body to retain salt and water and lose potassium, leading to increased blood pressure. For healthy individuals, the occasional licorice twist is not a problem; the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) recommends no more than about 100 grams of strong licorice per day as a guideline.<\/p>\n<p>You should be careful with blood pressure medication (its effect may decrease), diuretics (even more potassium loss) and especially with cardiac glycosides such as digoxin, because low potassium dangerously increases their effect.<\/p>\n<h2 data-short=\"Grapefruit\">Grapefruit and certain statins<\/h2>\n<p>Grapefruit is a classic example of an underestimated drug interaction: it inhibits an intestinal enzyme for days, regardless of when you eat it. As a result, some medications enter the bloodstream in much higher concentrations than intended.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#f7fbf2;border-left:4px solid #3a5a40;padding:20px 24px;border-radius:12px;margin:22px 0\">\n<h3>Here&#039;s how to sort it.<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Affected:<\/strong> The statins simvastatin and lovastatin, and somewhat less so atorvastatin. These carry a higher risk of side effects, including muscle damage.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mostly uncritical:<\/strong> Rosuvastatin, pravastatin and fluvastatin are metabolized differently.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Also possible:<\/strong> Effects on certain blood pressure medications and immunosuppressants. A look at the package insert or a question at the pharmacy will clarify this.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2 data-short=\"Baldrian\">Valerian and sedatives or alcohol<\/h2>\n<p>Valerian works by calming the brain through the same neurotransmitter as prescription tranquilizers. If you combine both, or valerian with alcohol, the sedative effect is compounded, and your reaction time may be more impaired than you think. It&#039;s best not to mix them before driving or operating machinery.<\/p>\n<h2 data-short=\"Vitamin K\">Vitamin K-rich herbs and Marcumar<\/h2>\n<p>Parsley, kale, and spinach are packed with vitamin K, the natural antagonist of anticoagulants like warfarin. The modern recommendation surprises many: don&#039;t avoid them, but eat them regularly. The problem isn&#039;t the green vegetables themselves, but the fluctuations in consumption. Large fluctuations cause unpredictable fluctuations in blood clotting levels.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#fdf6e3;border-left:4px solid #b08d3f;padding:20px 24px;border-radius:12px;margin:22px 0\">\n<h3>Good to know<\/h3>\n<p>So, if you&#039;re taking Marcumar, you can keep eating your green vegetables. Just keep the amount similar from week to week and discuss any major dietary changes with your doctor instead of cutting them out entirely on your own. And generally speaking, if you take medication regularly, a quick question at the pharmacy before each new herbal remedy is the most stress-free approach. By the way, you can find high-quality, tested herbs and spices in our... <a href=\"\/en\/produkte\/\">Shop<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wechselwirkungen &amp; gef\u00e4hrliche Kombinationen Naturheilkundliche Mittel wirken. Und genau deshalb k\u00f6nnen sie sich mit Medikamenten, anderen Pflanzen oder Lebensmitteln in die Quere kommen. \u201ePflanzlich&#8220; hei\u00dft eben nicht \u201eohne Wirkung&#8220;. Das ist kein Grund zur Sorge, aber ein guter Grund, die wichtigsten Kombinationen zu kennen. Hier sind die am besten dokumentierten, freundlich erkl\u00e4rt. Johanniskraut und Medikamente<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7517,"parent":5239,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7518","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edenshealth.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edenshealth.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edenshealth.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edenshealth.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edenshealth.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7518"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/edenshealth.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7518\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8890,"href":"https:\/\/edenshealth.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7518\/revisions\/8890"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edenshealth.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5239"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edenshealth.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edenshealth.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}