Which statement best illustrates a drug-herb interaction ADR?

Which statement best illustrates a drug-herb interaction ADR?

• A. St John's wort reducing anticoagulant effect.
• B. Echinacea enhances immune response.
• C. Valerian root interacts with NSAIDs by increasing bleeding.
• D. Ginkgo biloba inhibits platelet aggregation and taken with NSAIDs increases bleeding risk.

Answer: (D)

The main idea is that herb–drug interactions can alter a drug’s effect and sometimes cause adverse reactions when the herb and medication combine. Ginkgo biloba has antiplatelet effects, meaning it can impair platelet function. NSAIDs also impair platelets by inhibiting COX-1 and reducing thromboxane A2. When taken together, these effects stack, significantly increasing the risk of bleeding. This is a classic adverse drug reaction from a drug–herb interaction: an enhanced bleeding tendency. The other statements describe interactions that don’t illustrate an adverse effect in the same way. St John’s wort can lower anticoagulant levels by accelerating metabolism, which is a pharmacokinetic interaction that reduces drug efficacy rather than causing an increased adverse effect like bleeding; echinacea’s effect is immune modulation, not a clear ADR; valerian with NSAIDs isn’t supported by evidence of increased bleeding.

The main idea is that herb–drug interactions can alter a drug’s effect and sometimes cause adverse reactions when the herb and medication combine. Ginkgo biloba has antiplatelet effects, meaning it can impair platelet function. NSAIDs also impair platelets by inhibiting COX-1 and reducing thromboxane A2. When taken together, these effects stack, significantly increasing the risk of bleeding. This is a classic adverse drug reaction from a drug–herb interaction: an enhanced bleeding tendency.

The other statements describe interactions that don’t illustrate an adverse effect in the same way. St John’s wort can lower anticoagulant levels by accelerating metabolism, which is a pharmacokinetic interaction that reduces drug efficacy rather than causing an increased adverse effect like bleeding; echinacea’s effect is immune modulation, not a clear ADR; valerian with NSAIDs isn’t supported by evidence of increased bleeding.