Most people are aware that prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs can often interact with each other. But many people are surprised to learn that medications can also interact with natural remedies (see “Risky herb-drug combos”). For this reason, ConsumerReportsHealth.org features an interactions checker for drugs and natural medicines to ensure that the unique combination of any drug and natural medicine you take is both safe and effective.

The interactions checker will find interactions only between prescription or OTC drugs and natural medicines, not interactions that can occur between drugs.  Regardless of whether you choose to use a drug or a natural medicine to treat a particular condition, you should consult your physician before deciding on any treatment.

Subscribers to ConsumerReportsHealth.org can access the service following these easy steps:

1. Once you’re logged in, click on the Natural Medicine Ratings tab at the top of the page.  This will take you to the main Natural Medicine Ratings page.
2. At the bottom of the page, check for potential interactions between drugs and natural medicines by clicking on the “Start Here” button for the main Natural Medicine/Drug Interaction checker.
3. You will land on a new screen. You can enter the name of a drug, a natural product ingredient, or a natural product brand name in the space provided. Or you can select a product by browsing the alphabetical product list (click on any letter from A to Z).
4. Click on “add to list” once you find the name you want.
5. On the next screen, enter a drug, a natural product ingredient, or a natural product brand name in the space provided (keep in mind that if you entered a drug in the previous steps, you need to enter a natural medicine here, or vice versa).
6. Click on “Check Interactions.”
7. If there are known interactions between the drug and the natural product, an explanation of all possible interactions and their severity, including changes in the effectiveness and actions of the drug, any internal organs affected, risks of continued use, and advice on what to tell or ask your doctor will be provided.
8. If there are no known interactions between the drug and the natural product, you will get a message stating, “No known interactions were found for the selected products. If you suspect that you or a patient has experienced an adverse event or interaction related to these products please click here to tell us about it. Also report any suspected interactions to FDA MedWatch.” (The “click here” link will take you to a Consumer Reports site to report what you’ve experienced, and the “FDA MedWatch” link will take you to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration site where you can report what you’ve experienced directly to the U.S. federal government.)
9. On the same page on which you found the interactions checker, you can also search for general information about a natural product and for natural products that have been found effective for treating specific conditions.