Glehnia Root … Safety & Interactions

Contraindications

• Cold-damp cough with copious thin sputum and loose stool from Spleen deficiency
• Traditional incompatibility with Li Lu
• Use during radiation therapy because furanocoumarin-containing herbs may increase photosensitivity

Cautions

• The broad name Sha Shen covers more than one crude drug in practice, so authenticated Glehnia littoralis remains important when the cooler, fluid-generating Bei Sha Shen profile is intended.
• Most modern pharmacology is preclinical and does not by itself justify using the herb as a stand-alone treatment for chronic pulmonary or gastrointestinal disease.
• Memorial Sloan Kettering notes a theoretical interaction with CYP3A4 substrate drugs and cautions that furanocoumarin-containing herbs may raise photosensitivity risk during radiation therapy.
• Human interaction data remain limited, so medication reviews should stay conservative when concentrated extracts are used.

Drug Interactions