Hi Jill,
It is nice to know that herbs like Garlic, Reishi mushrooms and Ginkgo biloba helps improve oxygenation and prevent symptoms of altitude sickness. These naturopathic supplements can definitely benefit our young patient population and people with no comorbidities.
But as FNP's and providers we should be really careful while treating our elderly populations and patients with peripheral diseases and cardiovascular diseases. Some times patients are on anticoagulants and prescription medications that can interact with herbal therapies.
Just out of curiosity I checked the Drug interactions between Ginkgo biloba and coumadin , the result indicated - potential for significant interaction (monitoring by your doctor is likely required).Coumadin oral and ginkgo biloba oral both increase the risk of side effects and cause bleeding or bruising.
Jill, I really enjoy reading your topic! Thank you for all you research!
Reference:
Drug Interaction Checker - Find Interactions Between Medications. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/interaction-checker/default.htm