These are potentially dangerous propositions. The American Society of Anesthesia recommends anyone scheduled for surgery quit taking all herbal supplements two to three weeks before the procedure to give the body enough time to cleanse the supplement from its systems. The herbal supplements also can interact with a variety of standard medications used to treat many conditions. Some people don't realize that our traditional medicines, about one-third of them, come from plants or plant products. Even if a person is not scheduled for surgery, it is important to communicate with a health care provider before taking any herbal supplements to determine whether that product might actually have any benefits for the patient.
Communication is everything.
If the patient can communicate what they're taking, the health care provider can make logical and reasonable recommendations, and I think the patient will be the big winner.