Category Archives: Rosemary

Wolfsbane: Uses, risks, and admonitions

“The wolfsbane I should dread;
Nor will I dreary rosemarye,
That always mourns the dead;
But I will woo the dainty rose,
With her cheeks of tender red.”
…Thomas Hood

Wolfsbane (Aconitum napellus, aconite, monkshood) is sometimes included in herbal remedies to treat inflammation, pain, musculoskeletal problems (eg arthritis), and heart problems. Continue reading Wolfsbane: Uses, risks, and admonitions

Cyclosporine, herbals, and immunosupressive therapy

Cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral) is used to prevent organ rejection following kidney, liver, and heart transplants. It may also be used to treat chronic rejection in patients previously treated with other immunosuppressive agents.

The information in this article should be valuable for people taking cyclosporine for its immunosuppressant effect, and for pharmacists and other healthcare professionals who are monitoring this therapy.

Interactions between cyclosporine and St. John’s wort and rosemary are discussed. In addition, it reviews the purported immunostimulating effects of certain herbals and herbal medicines that are potential nephrotoxins.

Illustration: University of Texas

8/11/06 20:38 JR