What about alternative or natural remedies?
You may have read some encouraging claims about alternative or natural/herbal therapies; however, there is often no medical evidence that these improve heart failure. On the contrary, ingredients within some of these alternative therapies may interfere with the actions of some heart failure medicines and may have harmful effects.
Some of the more common alternative or natural remedies that may unfavourably interact with certain heart failure medicines include:
- Ephedra (Ma Huang)
- Ephedrine metabolites
- Chinese herbs
- Hawthorn (crataegus) products
- Garlic
- Ginseng
- Ginkgo
- Coenzyme Q-10
It’s strongly recommended that you talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before taking any alternative/natural/herbal remedies.
