Q. I bought an herbal diet pill and checked its web site. It is said to be safe, containing konjac glucomannan and Citrus aurantium.
I take Zocor, a multivitamin, fish oil, flax seed oil and 9 golden raisins soaked in sloe gin. (They help my osteoarthritis hand pain.) Is there any interaction between the herbs and my medicine?
A. Glucomannan is an insoluble fiber (derived from konjac root) that is sometimes used to fight constipation. It also slows down the absorption of carbohydrates eaten at the same time. This can even out blood sugar and help keep it from spiking after a meal. It might interfere with the absorption of Zocor or vitamins and should not be taken at the same time.
We are at least as worried by the Citrus aurantium, though. This comes from the peel of the bitter orange. This citrus fruit can interact with dozens of drugs in a similar manner to grapefruit.
Zocor blood levels might rise, increasing the possibility of side effects. The “grapefruit effect, which increases the blood levels of many medications, lasts all day long.
You will find more information about drugs that could interact with either grapefruit or bitter orange in our Guides to Food and Grapefruit Interactions and Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs. Anyone who would like copies, please send $3 in check or money order with a long (no. 10) stamped (63 cents), self-addressed envelope: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. FJL-197, P. O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027.
