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is it possible to take too many herbal supplements?

18 years ago

Does anyone know if there is such a thing as taking too many herbs?

Right now I'm taking 1500 mgs of Primrose Oil,

900 mgs of St. John's Wort, and I eat 4 leaves of Feverfew daily. I want to start taking Black Cohosh but not sure if this mix of herbs is okay.

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Comments (5)

Daisyduckworth
18 years ago
Herbs are drugs (medicines), and yes, you can easily overdose. Long-term medicinal usage of herbs is not usually recommended.

I suggest you put your question to a qualified herbalist, stating why you are taking these herbs.

You need to be very careful, especially with the St. John's Wort, which can interfere with a lot of other herbs and conventional medications, and which should never be taken for long periods. It should be used strictly under professional supervision.

Expert supervision is also recommended for Evening Primrose oil. Ditto for Black Cohosh. And 2-3 leaves is the recommended dosage for Feverfew.

My advice generally is NOT to take herbal medicines without checking first with an expert - not later, which may be too late! Use herbs with the same caution as you'd use prescription medications. You need to have a professional diagnosis of your problems, an appropriate treatment regime, a dosage to suit you, and to eliminate the possiblity of interactions with other drugs/herbs, and be aware of contraindications.

Here is a link that might be useful: herbalists
Heathen1
18 years ago
Omilord yes! It's possible to take too much of anything! People forget that herbal supplements are drugs, with side affects... some which you can't see, for example liver damage. Since a lot of herbal supplements haven't been studied for side affects, some you might never know. If you have to take a lot of something, I think it is safe to say it's not working for you. AND if that's not the situation, just cuz a little works, doesn't mean a lot is better.
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The problem with this thinking... which to me used to be fine, till I noticed, that all is fine and dandy till something goes wrong....then people scream... For example, you may want to take any drug you want, then your cousin dies of an ephedra problem.... then all of a sudden your thinking is changed. Personally, I generally agree. I think that the stupids who mess with something they don't understand.... just weeds out their genes from the gene pool. But apparently, others don't see it this way. I see this in almost all aspects of American life... ANOTHER example... You all want a freemarket system... till you pay $3 a gallon for gas... then you scream. People seem to want what they want with no concern for the consequences... I just do it... and unlike Cacye, I LISTEN when someone says there is a danger... some don't... that's why they try to beat trains in train crossings.... ANOTHER way to weed certain genes from the gene pool.
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Brendan, much as I admire your posts and viewpoints here, I think this time Oaklief needs an apology. Read her note again and the story about the 5 years - she said that 5 yrs after the (hospital?) had been told of her husband's allergy to dye he was given more of it, and then succumbed, not that he succumbed as a result of the original dosage 5 yrs earlier! In defense of the medical community in general however, I just want to remind people that while everyone involved with patients tries hard to do the right thing all of the time, humans being human (and tired) can and probably always will make mistakes. Doctors don't do it on purpose because they don't care, and/or are only waiting for their paycheck, it happens because maybe too many people are involved at any one time in a patient's care, all trying to 'cover' some aspect of care, and the chain of information may break at any one place on a given day. Sometimes the patient themselves, or the family needs to speak up and remind overtired techs about something like a life-threatening allergy. Of course in an ideal world the techs should have caught the 'caution' in the old chart. Maybe the charting procedures needed to be overhauled (big red stickers on the front of the charts apparently not being applied properly, or the chart just wasn't looked at by the stress lab people, who knows, but until humans become robots, such things, horrible as they are, will always happen and Oaklief's husband was just terribly unlucky that day. But it's not a reason to blame the entire well intentioned medical community of a country, much as doing so by the family is more than understandable. Do you think such things don't happen in other countries? That's pretty ridiculous! Anyhow, Brendan, do take a second look at OL's note, and Oaklief, I am very sorry about your husband, but bitterness against the entire medical establishment isn't going to do much now but continue to feed your unhappiness, so if you can manage to forgive, if not forget (that won't and shouldn't happen, of course) it just might help you to get on with life.
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Dee that's amazing! It's not surprising to hear anymore. Notes: The other thread mentions it needs to be in something hot and oily. I've also come across it needing to be used with black pepper for absorption. I wish we would get away from the idea of needing to put/take all these natural remedies in pill form. That sure is ingrained! Once they are processed, companies intervene, China gets involved, I question we are getting the same micro/nutrients and benefits as in their natural form. I also worry about what they are adding or using to process them. Who would have thought formaldehyde would be used to decaffeinate coffee. This post was edited by snookums2 on Sat, Jun 15, 13 at 14:00
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I don't take any herbal supplements except turmeric, only fish oil for my cholesterol/triglycerides and glucosamine/chondroitin for knee pain. Honestly, I would rather suffer the consequences of taking the turmeric and glucosamine/chondroitin (flatulence) than taking strong pain medication that puts me to sleep and could become habit forming. My doctor is on board. In fact, my hypertension and triglyceride count has improved with fish oil to the point that I am discontinuing my beta blocker and statin meds, again on my doc's advice.
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nchomemaker
Original Author
18 years ago
Thank you for the advice. I'm not taking more than the recommended amount on the back of the bottles. But I've been taking St. John's wort all fall and winter and will discontinue taking it for now, as it makes me sensitive to the sun. I've been taking the Feverfew continually for 2 years. I better make an appointment with an herbalist then, that is if I can find one.
cacye
18 years ago
What are you taking the supplements for? Sometimes you can find one or two things, or a patent formula, that does everything you want it to do without going through all this.
nchomemaker
Original Author
18 years ago
The Feverfew makes my monthly migraines less painful and less frequent, it also seems to help with osteoarthritis.
St. John's wort for mild depression, with marked improvement.
Primrose Oil stops painful breasts that I have 2 weeks before my period.
I would like to begin taking Black Cohosh for perimenopausal smptoms.

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