Preoperative considerations: which herbal products should be discontinued before surgery?

Catherine A. Heyneman is the director of the Idaho Drug Information Service and an assistant professor of Pharmacy Practice at the Idaho State University College of Pharmacy, Pocatello, Idaho. Medicinal herbs have been used since the beginning of recorded time. Approximately one quarter of prescription drugs on the market today are still derived from plant products (eg, digoxin from the foxglove plant). The danger inherent in the current widespread use of herbal products is the assumption that the term “natural” is synonymous with “safe.”