title: Consumption of medicinal plants by patients with heart diseases at a pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinic in Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Medicinal plants (MP) have been used for many years with the purpose of feeding and curing. Several MP may interfere in drug response and are not always considered as potential drug-interactors in clinical practice.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the consumption of MP by outpatients during a one-year follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with cardiopathy diagnosis and indication(s) for long-term use of warfarin were recruited at a pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinic of a Brazilian public hospital. This research employed a descriptive method. The consumption of MP was examined regarding the type, frequency and forms of use.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 280 patients were studied. Most patients were female (54.6 %) with an average age of 56.8 ± 13.1 years. The consumption of MP was reported by 46 (16.4 %) patients, totalizing 59 occurrences. Lemon, lemon balm and plantain were the most common MP. The main pharmacological uses involved the digestive, urinary, and respiratory tracts. Tea was the predominant form of consumption (87 %). Twelve (33.3 %) plants presented potential herb-warfarin interactions according to the literature.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We described the consumption of MP among outpatients characterized by their complex disease status, propensity for adverse events, and socioeconomic limitations. These results may guide pharmacist interventions and procedures to prevent clinical complications.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paula Mendonça
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Leite
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rachel Oliveira
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Castilho
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Antonio Luiz Pinho
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. auxiliadorapmartins@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Maria Auxiliadora Parreiras
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Martins
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D041743:Herb-Drug Interactions; D006801:Humans; D019934:International Normalized Ratio / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D010595:Pharmacists; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D024382:Professional Role
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants
keywords: Anticoagulants; Heart diseases; Medicinal plants; Warfarin