KUALA LUMPUR: A liver specialist has cautioned that all-natural herbal supplements could have adverse effects on a person’s health, including causing liver damage.

In an interview with FMT, Clinical Hepatologist Dr Lim Chee Sang said that all-natural herbal supplements – commonly sold online and over the counter (OTC) – could have a negative health impact.

“It is a misconception that ‘all-natural’ herbal supplements are safe just because their source is all-natural.”

Lim, who is currently attached to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) said herbal supplements had active ingredients which could cause health complications – life-threatening in some cases – if not taken properly.

Pointing to a 2013 study in the United States, Lim said a rise in liver injuries in the United States of America, due to herbal and dietary supplements had been recorded between 2004 and 2012.

In 2004, incidences of liver injuries caused by herbal and dietary supplements accounted for seven per cent of all drug-induced liver injuries. However by 2012, the number had increased to 19 per cent.

“What is of great concern, is that most people, even in the US do not tell their doctors what supplements they take, so these figures may not even paint a complete picture.”

Elaborating, Lim said complications could arise from combining supplements, taking them with other medications or taking too many compounds contained in certain supplements.

He added that complications could also be caused by a host of other factors, including a person’s age, genetics and disease, amongst others.

“Some supplements may interact with prescriptions and OTC medicines. For example, Coumadin (a prescription medicine), ginkgo biloba (a herbal supplement), aspirin (an OTC drug) and vitamin E (a vitamin supplement) can each thin the blood, and taking any of these products together can increase the potential for internal bleeding.”

In the case of St John’s Wort, a flower, used in herbal remedies for mental health, Lim said it could reduce the effectiveness of prescription drugs for heart disease, depression, seizures, certain cancers and oral contraceptives.

Lim said this was why it was important for people to speak to their doctors before taking supplements, rather than just buying them off the shelf without knowing the effects these may have on their health.

“This is especially the case for those who are pregnant, nursing, have chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension or heart disease, as well as those taking medications.”