Question Details
CBD + Chinese Herbal Formulas
by CIVTdvm - November 3, 2020
Hello
Upon reflection, many of my clients - probably 20-25% (and this is likely underestimated as not all pet owners will be transparent about cannabis use) are using cannabis products on their pets. When recommending herbal medicines, are there and obvious contraindications or concerns for concurrent use. Knowing that cannabinoids use the cytochrome p450 pathway, any herbs that are known to directly interact with this pathway would, for me, be known to avoid the use together with cannabis.

Is there any guidance or recommendations for us in prescribing Chinese herbals to pets already on cannabis or with owners wanting to add it into the management protocol?

I know this is still a very new area of study (worldwide) and knowledge not completely know at this time, but any support in this area will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

Christiane
Replies
by naturevet
November 3, 2020
Hi Christiane,

The clinical significance of cytp450 inhibiting herbs is unclear. That means that, while such activity can be identified, whether it results in a meaningful impact on drug dosing is debatable.

In Chinese herbal medicine, Dang Gui is the only cytp450 inhibitor that I am aware of. Although ubiquitously used, I have not seen it have any clinically significant interaction with other medications in over twenty years of patients. Nevertheless, you may want to start your investigations there. I generally use Pubmed to dig into this material and try to differentiate the bench and speculative studies from what actually happens. Let us know if you find anything!

Steve
by CIVTdvm
November 4, 2020
Hi Steve,
Thank you so much! I appreciate it. I am consulting with a colleague who is a veterinary anesthesiologist and cannabinoid advocate, so we will work together to look into this area of research. Definitely fascinating!
Christiane
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