Skip navigation
FACT
Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
Home > FACT > FACT contents > Volume 8 2003 > Volume 8:1 March 2003 > Short Reports > Herbal Medicine

Focus Altern Complement Ther 2003; 8: 62

Herbal Medicine

Herbal mixture interacts with warfarin

Kangen-Karyu (KGK), containing six herbs, is a formula created under the theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to invigorate the ‘blood’ and dispel ‘blood stasis’, which arises from poor blood circulation. This study was conducted to evaluate the interactions between KGK and warfarin. Warfarin was administered orally or intravenously to KGK-treated rats, and plasma warfarin concentration and prothrombin times were measured. Although KGK did not influence the absorption or serum protein binding of warfarin, it significantly suppressed the metabolism and elimination of warfarin. This interaction depends on the dosage of KGK, and 10 times the amount of the human daily dose of KGK did not exhibit pharmacokinetic interaction with warfarin, suggesting that KGK did not influence the effect of warfarin unless the daily dose was strictly maintained. Warfarin alone significantly prolonged mouse-tail bleeding time, which was further prolonged significantly by KGK at a dose that did not exhibit pharmacokinetic interactions with warfarin.

Makino T, Wakushima H, Okamoto T et al. Pharmacokinetic interactions between warfarin and kangen-karyu, a Chinese traditional herbal medicine, and their synergistic action. J Ethnopharmacol 2002; 82: 35.
Top | Next: Clinical trials of Vitex agnus castus»
© Pharmaceutical Press 2008
Accessibility | Terms and Conditions