Traditional Chinese Medicine May Hinder Anesthesia

Users of TCHM by prescription were found to be more than two times more likely to experience low levels of potassium and/or impaired clotting than non-users in the preoperative period. The duration of anesthesia was also longer in users of TCHM by prescription than with self-prescribed users of TCHM. The study named licorice, rehmannia, astragalus, atractylodes, and eucommia as potentially harmful traditional herbs if taken in prescription form before surgery. The study was published in the September 2006 issue of Anesthesia.

"During surgery, because of the anaesthetic drugs we give to the patients, it would make them more likely to develop arrhythmia. The interaction with anaesthesia will provoke arrythmia more easily,” said co-author Dr. Chui Po-tong, honorary clinical associate professor of the department of anesthesia and intensive care.

The study emphasized that over-the-counter herbal soups and tea were considered safe, but that prescription TCHM was a lot more potent. A major limitation to the findings is that the study evaluated traditional Chinese medicines that contain complex mixtures of a variety of herbs. Without standardization of these mixtures, it is difficult to identify what herbal quantities patients are actually receiving.



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