Contraindications and Interactions of Botanicals

Influenza is a respiratory illness responsible for epidemic outbreaks of disease, and accounts for 500,000 to 1,000,000 emergency department (ED) visits in the United States each year.1 Because of the high prevalence of disease and its potential morbidity, emergency physicians must be facile in its diagnosis and treatment. In addition, some treatments for influenza, such as neuraminidase inhibitors, are associated with a higher risk of symptoms, such as gastrointestinal and central nervous system effects, which themselves can prompt ED visits.2 While front-line physicians have become adept at recognizing and managing both the symptoms of influenza and side effects of well-studied medical treatments, a further diagnostic challenge includes side effects of compounds or therapies recommended for influenza that are not well studied in Western medicine. Here, we present a report novel to the peer-reviewed medical literature of an adverse event due to the use of an herbal remedy for influenza.