Vegetarians?

[Ross]

Cows eat grass...grass is a veggie.....you are what you eat....I eat cows....I must be a vegetarian

Cows taste good!

 

[Ross]

Hi Annilou,

Yes, there are some foods that will raise your INR.....follow some of the Coumadin links and you will find them.. But most notably are garlic and ginger (well, they are spices, not food..). But there are others, there has been some talk of the possible impact of cranberry juice/cranberries, but conflicting reports.

If you can't find any others, let me know and I"ll see if I can find them!

The new verdict on Cranberry Juice is that there is no evidence to support any interactions between it and Coumadin.

 

[catwoman]

Annilou:
There are fewer foods that will raise your INR than will cause it to drop. According to the Coumadin TM leaflet I have from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., the following have the potential anticoagulant effects:
Alfalfa
Angelica
Aniseed
Arnica
Asa Foetida
Bogbean
Bolde
Buchu
Capsicum
Cassia
Celery
Chamomile (German and Roman)
Dandelion
Fenugreek
Horse Chestnut
Horseradish
Licorice
Meadowsweet
Nettle
Parsley
Passion Flower
Prickly Ash (Northern)
Quassia
Red Clover
Sweet Clover
Sweet Woodruff
Tonka Beans
Wild Carrot
Wild Lettuce

(Sweet clover is what researchers first found coumarins (anticoagulants) in, after reports that cattle in the upper Midwest were hemorrhaging. The cattle had been feeding on the clover. I don't know where you'd get it for human consumption.)

Cranberry juice's effect on INR levels has been highly debated. I believe that Al Lodwick, one of our members & who works with warfarin patients at a hospital, has debunked any connection.

If you will check the Anticoagulation Forum here, you'll see that we recommend that you "dose the diet, not diet the dose," meaning you base your dosage on your normal diet, instead of cutting back on your dietary intake to suit your dosage of warfarin. Whoever manages your warfarin should be basing your dosage on your INR, not your INR being based on your dosage.

Vegetarians will probably have a higher intake of vitamin K than a typical meat-and-potatoes eater. An INR of 2.3-2.9 may adequate for some people, but not for you, based on your valve & stroke history.

 

[Nan]

Ross, are you sure about garlic and ginger lowering one's INR? Being tired at the moment and not thinking clearly I can't find the site where I got the original info about garlic and ginger raising the INR.....

 

[Ross]

Ross, are you sure about garlic and ginger lowering one's INR? Being tired at the moment and not thinking clearly I can't find the site where I got the original info about garlic and ginger raising the INR.....

Hmm, looks like my bad:

Garlic may cause bleeding in
a similar way as aspirin. Be
cautious about taking garlic
with warfarin. If you notice
any signs of bleeding, call
your doctor.

Ginger can lead to bleeding
problems, similar to the way
aspirin does.

Doesn't actually say that it raises it, but I suppose it's the same meaning.

 

[Nan]

Thanks Ross, at least I haven't totally lost my mind!!!!

 

[Ross]

Thanks Ross, at least I haven't totally lost my mind!!!!

I have, would you like to borrow it?

 

[geebee]

I have, would you like to borrow it?

But Ross, if you've lost your mind how could you lend it out?

 

[Ross]

But Ross, if you've lost your mind how could you lend it out?

Umm..........