Liquid Nutritionals Caution for Goji Juice
by Ask a Healer
Related Article:
herbs and meds do not often mix
This is part of a drug interactions from drinking antioxidant juices. On this page, I am sharing the experience I went through with my Mom after she took an antioxidant juice blend that contained Wolfberry. This article is just one of several at the wellness library that address prescription drug safety and what you may need to know about your medications.
Blood Thinners and Wolfberry:
I thought I was getting Mangosteen Juice but, in the blend, there also was Wolfberry.
I had read a lot about mangosteen juice and decided to ask my mom if she would try it. She agreed and I bought a mangosteen formula I had personally used and from which, I experienced very healthy benefits.
I did not know that the product I purchased, in addition to mangosteen juice, also contained Wolfberry, or Goji Juice.
With just one dose, my mom got a headache and within three days, her blood pressure was dangerously high. Panicked, I did some quick online research and found that Himilayan Goji Juice can interfere with the action of some blood thinners. Mom is on Plavix. Although Plavix is not one of the blood thinners mentioned that might interact with Goji, it is a blood thinner nonetheless and I assume it might interact. I'm so glad we were monitoring her blood pressure every day. Despite some incredible benefits that also happened in those two days, she ended up with a drug interaction that could have been dangerous if left undiscovered.
It may be hard to believe that noticable change can happen in 48 hours but it did for mom and all the change wasn't bad, as you will read. When I started drinking the same antioxidant blend, it did for me as well. However, it's important to note that there is no way to know which of the juices contained in the blend are responsible for which results. Among the good benefits mom experienced with the goji juice blend were a remarkable reduction in her chronic joint pain and an almost amazing clearing of colon waste. She was astonished at what had been in her colon. I know those were very healthy things to have happen and wish I had just gotten only the mangosteen juice, rather than the blend that contained wolfberry but I didn't know about the drug interaction.
Goji Juice link unclear:
I do not know if the Goji Berry in the juice blend Mom was drinking caused either her headaches or her dangerously high blood pressure. I suspect wolfberry may have been a factor because of how quickly her situation changed and because of the drug interactions with blood thinners that I've mentioned.
I do not know if the goji juice interacted with Plavix but if it can interact with other blood thinners, like Warfarin and Coumadin, it's reasonable to suspect it. I do know that her blood pressure began to spike from the first day, possibly even the first dose, and that's enough cause and effect evidence for me to not want her taking the juice anymore.
Zetia and Cozaar Link:
Another thing that muddies the water on determining how much influence the juice blend had on her condition is that Mom was already in trouble with potassium and her doctor felt it was because of the prescriptions drug Zetia and Cozaar.
In fact, there is some controversy brewing up over Zetia right now and I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't become yet another medicine that is pulled from the market because of detrimental effects, particularly
when combined with other statins.
In any case, Mom's heart doctor told her to get off of both medications and stay off of them. Her potassium levels were dangerously high and her doctor felt Zetia (or the combo of Zetia and Cozaar) was potentially the reason. I found it interesting to read on the Cozaar website that two of the side effects can be coughing and sinus disorders. My mom has suffered terribly from both for some time now. I wonder if she will get better now, since she's off the Cozaar?
At the time mom drank the juice blend, she had been off both Cozaar and Zetia for about a week. Was her potassium level still too high? If she had taken this juice blend at another time would it have affected her the same way? No way to know. It isn't worth the risk. As long as she's on Plavix or other blood thinners, she can't risk any of these wonderful juices, regardless of their potential benefit.
I've come to the conclusion, sadly, that choosing prescription drugs and western medicine pretty effectively rules out almost any nutritional supplementation that might otherwise be helpful. Unless you are a pharmacist, you just can't know if something natural is going to interact with something prescription. The more prescription drugs you take, the more potential exists for harmful interaction, not only between the drugs and natural substances including foods, but also between the drugs themselves.
Goji Juice / Wolfberry / Lycium barbarum Disclaimer: As a rule, if under a doctor's care for any known health condition, you should check with your chosen healthcare provider before adding anything new to your system. It is vital to check if you are on blood thinners and also if you are pregnant or nursing. The information on goji juice that I'm sharing here is ancedotal in nature. Your own reaction to it may vary. Nothing here is intended to replace any needed medical attention, evaluation or treatment.
