{"id":19409,"date":"2025-09-03T09:18:47","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T08:18:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/absolwent.umw.edu.pl\/?p=19409"},"modified":"2025-09-03T09:18:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T08:18:47","slug":"naturally-dangerous-before-surgery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/absolwent.umw.edu.pl\/en\/naturally-dangerous-before-surgery\/","title":{"rendered":"Naturally dangerous before surgery"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before the procedure, not only should certain medications be discontinued\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>. Supplements and herbal remedies may also increase the risk of\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span>intraoperative\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span>bleeding\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>. According to findings by researchers at the Wroclaw Medical University, the list is quite long and often surprising <\/strong>.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Researchers\u00a0<\/span>from\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the Department of Dietetics and Bromatology and the Department of Pharmacognosy and Herbal Medicine at the Wroclaw Medical University examined the active substances contained in herbal preparations and dietary supplements in terms of their effect on blood clotting during <\/span>surgical\u00a0<\/span>procedures .<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

“To date, only a few studies\u00a0<\/span>have\u00a0<\/span><\/span>examined the composition of specific preparations\u00a0<\/span>in\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the context of perioperative risks,” explains Dr. Joanna Pieczy\u0144ska, a professor at the Wroclaw Medical University, Department of Dietetics and Bromatology. “Our team decided to tackle the entire problem based on available publications. The results surprised us \u2013 we didn’t expect that so many commonly used preparations <\/span>could\u00a0<\/span><\/span>pose a risk to patients during surgery. Physicians are often unaware of this. Few people ask patients before surgery whether they are taking dietary supplements containing garlic extract, birch bark, or other herbal preparations based on natural ingredients.”<\/span><\/p>\n

If doctors don’t ask, patients often remain silent. Studies show that as many as 70% of patients\u00a0<\/span>do\u00a0<\/span><\/span>n’t inform their physicians about their use of\u00a0<\/span>dietary supplements or herbs. This is a huge gap in perioperative care. Many people\u00a0<\/span>believe\u00a0<\/span><\/span>that\u00a0<\/span>what’s natural is also safe, and that so-called “herbs” have never harmed anyone. The same applies to dietary supplements\u00a0,\u00a0<\/span>primarily associated\u00a0\u00a0with preventative health support. However, their effects are not one-dimensional. They may be beneficial for one problem, but pose a risk in another.<\/span><\/p>\n

“One such example\u00a0<\/span>is\u00a0<\/span><\/span>garlic,”\u00a0<\/span>says\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Dr. Joanna Pieczy\u0144ska. “Its beneficial health properties\u00a0<\/span>have\u00a0<\/span><\/span>been known for a long time. Garlic preparations are very popular, typically used to support blood pressure regulation and lipid profiles. Compounds contained in garlic inhibit platelet aggregation, so they should be discontinued at least a few days before surgery, as they increase the risk of bleeding. The same applies to cinnamon bark, which\u00a0<\/span>is\u00a0<\/span><\/span>an\u00a0<\/span><\/span>ingredient\u00a0<\/span>in many preparations\u00a0that\u00a0<\/span>lower blood glucose and increase tissue sensitivity to insulin. For this reason, it is recommended for people with diabetes\u00a0\u00a0and insulin\u00a0<\/span>resistance, who,\u00a0however\u00a0<\/span>, do not always know that they should stop taking it if they are undergoing surgery.”\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The researchers examined herbal preparations and dietary supplements containing compounds with antithrombotic, antiaggregatory (inhibiting platelet clumping), or fibrinolytic (dissolving clots) properties. All of these can significantly affect blood clotting and increase the risk of perioperative bleeding.\u00a0<\/span>Potentially\u00a0<\/span><\/span>risky active substances include coumarins \u2013 found in sweet clot, cinnamon, and angelica. They may have antithrombotic effects as vitamin K antagonists. Another dangerous group of compounds in this context\u00a0<\/span>are\u00a0<\/span><\/span>salicylates \u2013 substances similar to acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) that\u00a0<\/span>inhibit\u00a0<\/span><\/span>platelet aggregation. They are found, for example, in willow bark and aloe vera. The list of plants with fibrinolytic properties is long, including well-known and popular ones such as ginkgo biloba, ginseng, ginger, turmeric, garlic, St. John’s wort, and many others.\u00a0<\/span>They\u00a0<\/span><\/span>are\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>also often used as spices and food additives, but Dr. Pieczy\u0144ska cautions that in this form they are harmless\u00a0<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>The dose, the form of the preparation, and the bioavailability of the active substances are important. For example, herbal\u00a0<\/span>infusions\u00a0<\/span><\/span>contain significantly fewer active metabolites\u00a0<\/span>than\u00a0<\/span><\/span>standardized extracts \u2013 it’s difficult to overdose on\u00a0 cinnamon\u00a0<\/span>bark\u00a0<\/span><\/span>if you just add it to apple pie, but in concentrated form it can increase the risk of bleeding. The authors of the publication point out that when using multiple preparations\u00a0<\/span>simultaneously\u00a0<\/span><\/span>, the risk can accumulate, especially\u00a0<\/span>when\u00a0<\/span><\/span>combined with synthetic medications used before or after surgery.<\/span><\/p>\n

“The problem is starting to be recognized worldwide,”\u00a0<\/span>says\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Dr. Joanna Pieczy\u0144ska. “For example, the American Society of Anesthesiologists\u00a0<\/span>recommends\u00a0<\/span><\/span>discontinuing supplements\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>herbal products\u00a0<\/span>at\u00a0<\/span><\/span>least two weeks before a planned procedure\u2014even if their exact mechanisms of action are unknown. This is for patient safety and the principle that prevention is better than risking uncontrolled bleeding. Meanwhile, in Poland, few people consult\u00a0<\/span>a pharmacist or other specialist before purchasing\u00a0<\/span>supplements .\u00a0<\/span><\/span>”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This publication by the Wroc\u0142aw -based authors is the first Polish-language study <\/span>to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>systematize knowledge about plant ingredients that increase the risk of perioperative bleeding. It includes not only a list of substances and plants with this effect, but also a description of the mechanisms\u00a0<\/span>by\u00a0<\/span><\/span>which they affect blood clotting, as well as recommendations regarding the timing of withdrawal before surgery.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a practical tool for doctors, pharmacists\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>dietitians\u00a0<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>but also an important signal for patients\u00a0<\/span>\u2013\u00a0<\/span><\/span>before undergoing surgery, inform your doctor about all supplements and herbal preparations\u00a0<\/span>you\u00a0<\/span><\/span>are taking.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pieczy\u0144ska JM, Grajeta H, Fecka I. The use of\u00a0<\/span>herbal medicines, herbal medical products\u00a0<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and dietary supplements\u00a0before\u00a0<\/span>planned\u00a0<\/span>surgery. Part I. Ingredients of\u00a0herbal medicines and dietary supplements\u00a0increasing\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>risk of bleeding. Pharmacy Poland 2024; 80(1): 23\u201336.\u00a0<\/span><\/em>
\nDOI: 10.32383\/farmpol\/187177<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

photo: Tomasz Wal\u00f3w<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Before the procedure, not only should certain medications be discontinued\u00a0. Supplements and herbal remedies may<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":203,"featured_media":19407,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[510],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","has-featured"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/absolwent.umw.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/absolwent.umw.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/absolwent.umw.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/absolwent.umw.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/203"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/absolwent.umw.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19409"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/absolwent.umw.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19409\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19412,"href":"https:\/\/absolwent.umw.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19409\/revisions\/19412"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/absolwent.umw.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/absolwent.umw.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/absolwent.umw.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/absolwent.umw.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}