Double Nn Contraindications: Unknown Dangers of Chemicals in Food Interacting with the Chemicals in Herbs
Herbs have been a prevalent part of medicine for thousands of years in the treatment of numerous diseases. Today, 80% of the world depends on herbs for maintaining their health (Zhang et al., 2015). As a result, herbal medicine has become a trusted part of healing for many cultures globally. However, there have been considerable changes in the diets of modern societies compared to their diets hundreds of years ago. Now, there are considerable amounts of additives such as artificial food dyes, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners in food and drinks that have not been analyzed enough to fully understand their interactions with herbs. The effects of these chemicals on the human body are becoming increasingly researched as adverse effects arise. For example, studies have illustrated how removing artificial dyes from the diets 73% of children with ADHD reduced symptoms and how the carcinogens Benzedrine, 4-aminobiphenyl and 4-aminoazobenzene are found in dyes Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 (Dey & Nagababu, 2022). As a result, there is a possibility that herbs can cause similar issues when combined with certain foods and drinks.
There is evidence that drinks such as alcohol and grapefruit juice can have serious effects if employed with herbs. Alcohol, for example, can cause drowsiness if consumed with chamomile, echinacea, and catnip (Anderson, 2022). Furthermore, liver toxicity can arise when ingested with saw palmetto, kava, and valerian. Additionally, grapefruit juice, St. John’s wort, ginseng, and common valerian can inhibit intestinal CYP3A4, which is found in the liver and small intestine to protect against xenobiotics or foreign chemical substances (Geisen & Sturla, 2019; Hellum et al., 2007; Kato, 2008; Malati et al., 2012). As a result, if one of these herbs were consumed with a potentially toxic substance such as the chemicals found in certain foods, then the body would have limited protection from these materials. Moreover, a combination of these factors can possibly boost this effect, especially in East Asian food that contains ginseng. For example, if someone were to eat Taiwanese beef noodle soup that has ginseng and drink wine while taking St. John’s wort pills for depression, they could have a dangerous adverse reaction (Canenguez Benitez et al., 2022).
Ultimately, it is important to understand that medicinal herbs have therapeutic effects from their phytochemicals interacting with the body’s functions such as metabolism. In consequence, it is essential to research the chemicals in foods and drinks to make sure there are no negative effects from ingesting them with herbs.
References
Anderson, L. A. (Ed.). (2022, March 8). Herbal Supplements and Alcohol Interactions. Drugs.com. Retrieved March 25, 2023, from https://www.drugs.com/article/herbal-supplements-alcohol.html#:~:text=Drowsiness%2C%20Central%20Nervous%20System%20(CNS,herbal%20dietary%20supplement%20and%20alcohol.
Canenguez Benitez, J. S., Hernandez, T. E., Sundararajan, R., Sarwar, S., Arriaga, A. J., Khan, A. T., Matayoshi, A., Quintanilla, H. A., Kochhar, H., Alam, M., Mago, A., Hans, A., & Benitez, G. A. (2022). Advantages and Disadvantages of Using St. John’s Wort as a Treatment for Depression. Cureus, 14(9), e29468. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.29468
Dey, S., & Nagababu, B. H. (2022). Applications of Food Color and Bio-Preservatives in the Food and its Effect on the Human Health. Food Chemistry Advances, 1, 100019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.focha.2022.100019
Geisen, S. M., & Sturla, S. J. (2019). Can Foods or Herbs Alter the Bioavailability of Chemotherapy Drugs?. ACS pharmacology & translational science, 2(2), 143–146. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsptsci.9b00007
Hellum, B. H., Hu, Z., & Nilsen, O. G. (2007). The induction of CYP1A2, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 by six trade herbal products in cultured primary human hepatocytes. Basic & clinical pharmacology & toxicology, 100(1), 23–30. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-7843.2007.00011.x
Kato, M. (2008). Intestinal First-Pass Metabolism of CYP3A4 Substrates. Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, 23(2), 87–94. https://doi.org/10.2133/dmpk.23.87
Malati, C. Y., Robertson, S. M., Hunt, J. D., Chairez, C., Alfaro, R. M., Kovacs, J. A., & Penzak, S. R. (2012). Influence of Panax ginseng on cytochrome P450 (CYP)3A and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) activity in healthy participants. Journal of clinical pharmacology, 52(6), 932–939. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091270011407194
Zhang, J., Onakpoya, I. J., Posadzki, P., & Eddouks, M. (2015). The safety of herbal medicine: from prejudice to evidence. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2015, 316706. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/316706
