Introduction:
Agrimony, also known as Chinese Agrimony, Agrimonia pilosa, Hsien-ho-t’sao, and Xian He is an herbal medicine that can be applied orally or topically. Orally, it is used to treat sore throats, stomach problems, and diarrhea of an unknown cause. Topically, agrimony can be applied to the skin to treat mild inflammation. Other conditions that agrimony has been used for include bleeding, corns and warts, and disorders of the gallbladder. Patients who are undergoing anticoagulant therapy, or who are taking drugs to treat blood pressure should not use agrimony.
Chinese Agrimony adverse reactions and interactions:
Chinese Agrimony, Agrimonia pilosa, Hsien-ho-t’sao, Chinese Romanization, and Xian He are different names for the same herb which has been shown to increase prothrombin time(PT), decrease platelet aggregation, and increase activated partial thromboplastin time(aPTT) (1). PT and aPTT are blood tests commonly used to evaluate risk of bleeding prior to surgery. This agent may interact with other antiplatelet agents, NSAIDs or anti-coagulants to increase risk of bleeding.
Summary and Conclusion: Chinese Agrimony
- Use of Chinese Agrimony is not recommended for any conditions due to inability to locate evidence based research to substantiate the use of this agent.
- Chinese Agrimony may increase prothrombin time(PT), decrease platelet aggregation, and increase activated partial thromboplastin time(aPTT)(1). Chinese Agrimony should be discontinued 2 weeks prior to any surgery.
References:
1.Hsu MF, Young JH, Wang JP, et al. Effect of hsien-ho-t’sao (Agrimonia pilosa) on experimental thrombosis in mice. Am J Chin Med 1987;15:43-51.