Interferon and Chai Hu

[Guest guest]

Hola Herbalistas!

 

I have a potential patient who is interested in herbal therapy for his

Hep C. I want to give him a formula that includes Chai Hu. He was on

interferon therapy through this past April but hasn't taken it since.

 

I'm wondering if anybody knows of how long one should wait after taking

the interferon therapy before it is safe to use the Chai Hu in his

formula?

 

Thanks!

 

--

 

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

-Adlai Stevenson

[Guest guest]

I don't think there is any problem at this point, several months later.

The original situation in Japan developed when xiao chai hu tang and

interferon were given concurrently to patients and 16 people, I

believe, died.

 

Of course, that was xiao chai hu tang. We can only speculate that chai

hu was the culprit of interaction with interferon. Also, we don't know

if other chai hu containing prescriptions would have the same effect.

Does anyone have any access to studies on this?

 

To be safe, I don't think one should give chai hu containing

prescriptions to patients on interferon.

 

Finally, your pattern differentiation/diagnosis should be the key to

your herbal prescription, of course. In most cases, this will minimize

iatrogenesis.

 

 

On Thursday, October 23, 2003, at 12:12 PM, al stone wrote:

 

> Hola Herbalistas!

>

> I have a potential patient who is interested in herbal therapy for his

> Hep C. I want to give him a formula that includes Chai Hu. He was on

> interferon therapy through this past April but hasn't taken it since.

>

> I'm wondering if anybody knows of how long one should wait after taking

> the interferon therapy before it is safe to use the Chai Hu in his

> formula?

>

> Thanks!

>

> --

>

> Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

> -Adlai Stevenson

>

>

>