Health Issues & Warnings
when not to use herbs & oils [page 3 of 3]

| General Warnings | Hazardous Oils | Oils to use with Caution | Photosensitising Oils | Skin Irritants |
| Pregnancy | Prescription Medicine | Homeopathy | Epilepsy | High Blood Pressure | Depression | Alcohol | Children |

Prescription Medicines
The following herbs and oils are known to interfere with prescription medicine. This is not a complete list - always check with a medical professional before combining prescription drugs with herbal medicines :
Bladderwrack - Fucus vesiculosus - Consult a medical professional if taking insulin.
Carragheen, Irish Moss - Chondrus crsipus - Blood-thinning properties - should not be used by those taking anticoagulant medicines.
Chines Angelica - Angelica sinensis - Interacts with drugs such as warafin and heparin.
Cowslip - Primula veris - Do not take cowslip if taking anticoagulant medication.
Feverfew - Tanacetum parthenium - Do not take if taking warafin or other blood-thinning drugs.
Garlic - Allium sativum - Only take under professional advice if taking anti-hypertensive or blood-thinning medication.
Ginko - Ginko bilabol - Interacts with drugs such as warafin and heparin.
Horse Chestnut - Aesculus hippocastanum - May interact with blood-thinning drugs.
Melilot - Melilotus officinalis - Do not take if using antigoagulants.
Saw Palmetto - Serenoa repens, Sabal serrulata - Do not use if taking hormonal drugs, or if you have a hormone-dependent cancer.
St John's Wort, Y Fendigedig [Welsh] - Hypericum perforatum - Possible interaction with a number of prescription medicine, seek professional advice. Speeds up the rate at which the liver breaks down a range of drugs, including certain antibiotics, anti-epileptics, and immune suppresants.
Sweet Woodruff - Asperula odorata, Galium odoratum- Do not use if taking conventional medicaiton for circulatory problems.
Valerian - Valeriana officinalis - Do not take if already taking sleep-inducing drugs.
White Willow Bark - Salix alba - Do not take if using blood-thinning drugs. Do not use if allergic or sensitive to Aspirin. Do not use in conjunction with medicine containing aspirin or salicin derived products.

Homeopathic Medicines
The following oils are known to interfere with homeopathic medicines. Do not take in conjunction with, or store them near homeopathic medicines :
Black Pepper - Piper nigrum
Camphor - Cinnamomum camphora
Eucalyptus - Eucalyptus glubulus
Peppermint - Mentha piperata - and all mint oils!

Epilepsy
The following herbs and oils should be avoided by epileptics :
Evening Primrose Oil - Oenothera biennis - Do not take Evening Primrose oil if suffering from epilepsy.
Fennel [Sweet] - Foeniulum vulgare
Hyssop Oil - Hyssopus officinalis - Hyssop oil can induce epileptic seizures.
Rosemary - Rosematinus officinalis
Sage - Saliva officinalis - Do not take medicinal doses if epileptic.
St John's Wort, Y Fendigedig [Welsh] - Hypericum perforatum - Possible interaction with a number of prescription medicine, seek professional advice. Speeds up the rate at which the liver breaks down a range of drugs, including certain antibiotics, anti-epileptics, and immune suppresants.
Wormwood - Artemisia absinthum

High Blood Pressure
The following herbs and oils should be avoided by persons with high blood pressure :
Broom - Cytisus scoparius
Butcher's Broom - Ruscus aculeatus
Ephedra, Ma Huang, Desert Tea - Ephedra sinica
Hyssop - Hyssopus officinalis - Hyssop oil can induce epileptic seizures.
Liquorice - Glycyrrhiza glabra - Liquorice should also be avoided by anaemics.
Goldenseal - Hydrastis canadensis
Kola Nut - Cola acuminata
Rosemary - Rosematinus officinalis
Sage - Saliva officinalis

Depression
The following herbs and oils should be avoided by persons suffering from depression :
Hops - Humulus lupulus - Do not take internally if suffering from depression or generally feeling low.

Alcohol
The following herbs and oils should not be taken with alcohol :
Clary Sage - Salvia sclarea - Will cause nightmares!

Children
Do not give babies under 6 months any medicine without professional advice.
Do not give Honey to children under 1 year - in rare cases it can cause food posioning.
Do not give White Willow Bark - Salix alba to children or teenagers with symptoms of the cold, flu, or chicken pox as some researchers suggest that the salicin content of Willow may increase the risk of Reye's disease.

The following herbs should not be given to children under 5 years :
Pennyroyal - Mentha pulegium
Peppermint and all Mints - Mentha piperata, Mentha spp. [Peppermint tea can be used for children over 5 years old but should still be used with caution as young children may choke in reaction to the strong menthol.]
Senna - Cassia senna, Senna alexandrina

The following herbs should not be given to children under 12 years :
Feverfew - Tanacetum parthenium
Ginseng, Ren Shen - Panax ginseng

Dosages - generally speaking children aged 7 - 12 years should be given no more than half an average adult dose. For children aged 1 - 6 years use a third of an adult dose, and for babies aged 6 - 12 months only a tenth of an adult dose. Much depends on the child's size and general health conditions but as a rough guide Penelope Ody suggests the following dosages : 1 - 2 years = 10% of adult dose; 3 - 4 years = 20% of adult dose; 5 - 6 years = 30% of adult dose; 7 - 8 years = 40% of adult dose; 9 - 10 years = 50% of adult dose; 11 - 12 years = 60% of adult dose; 13 - 14 years = 80% of adult dose; 15 plus = 100% of adult dose;

Always research the herbs you wish to use - not all are suitable for children. The following herbs, however, are all gentle, safe healers and some of the most commonly used herbs for young children : German Chamomile - Chamomilla recutita; Marigold - Calendula officinalis; Catnip - Nepeta cataria; Lemon Balm - Melissa officinalis

Further Reading :
Aromatherapy an A-Z Patricia Davis
Encyclopedia of Essential Oils : The Complete Guide to the Use of Aromatic Oils in Aromatherapy, Herbalism, Health and Well Being - Julia Lawless
Bartram's Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine  Thomas Bartram
Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants : The definitive home reference guide to 550 key herbs with all their uses as remedies for common ailments - Andrew Chevallier FNIMH
Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine  Michael Murray, Joseph Pizzorno
Herbal Remedies Handbook Andrew Chevallier
Natural Home Remedies Penelope Ody
Practical Aromatherapy : the complete beginner's guide to choosing, massaging and relaxing with essential oils - Penny Rich
The Green Witch: A Modern Woman's Herbal  Barbara Griggs
The Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Herbs & Their Uses Deni Bown

The following title is not one I have read but it's one that looks like it could be useful - particularly for people who use common medications and would like to use herbal remedies safely :
The Natural Pharmacist: Drug-Herb-Vitamin Interactions Bible : From A-Z, Know the Dangers and Benefits of Combining Drugs, Herbs, and Vitamins (Natural Pharmacist)  Richard Harkness, David Kroll (Editor), Steven Bratman (Editor)

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Disclaimer : This article is not intended to replace any professional medical advice you may have been given - nor is it intended to be in place of professional advice. Always check with a medical professional if you are taking prescription drugs, have a health condition [including the countless conditions not even mentioned in this article], are pregnant, breast-feeding, trying to conceive or are generally unsure about a herb / oil / medicine. The lists present in this article do not include all herbs / oils which are considered unsafe or problematic - simply those I have come across during my research so far - always check before using a remedy! Respect the medicines Mother Nature offers us and live a healthy, happy life.