You may use herbs and / or prescription or non-prescription drugs to treat sinusitis. However, you should consult your doctor before starting the treatment. The physician should therefore decide how to treat sinusitis because there are chances of beneficial and harmful interactions between herbs and drugs. Here are some examples of such interactions:

Acetaminophen, Allium sativum, vitamin C and quercetin

The herb / supplement containing vitamin C interacts with acetaminophen, an analgesics administered to treat allergic rhinitis and sinusitis. The interaction has both good and bad effects. The vitamin may prevent the hepatotoxic effects of the analgesics. The vitamin may, however, enhance the analgesics’ biological half-life, increasing adverse effects of acetaminophen. Although risk is low, liver enzyme monitoring is required.

The herb/supplement containing quercetin reacts with the analgesics. During co-administration, quercetin may initiate hepatoprotective process to protect the liver against the adverse effects of paracetamol. Co-administration is recommended when the analgesics are used for long-period.

If the herb/supplement featuring Allium sativum and the analgesics are administered simultaneously, the pharmacokinetic interaction is generally harmless. It may mitigate acetaminophen’s hepatotoxic metabolite.

When the herb/supplement containing vitamin C and acetylsalicylic acid, an analgesics, are co-administered, type of interactions is not certain. Aspirin reduces metabolic availability of the vitamin, increases ascorbic acid’s excretion in urine and affects the absorption of the vitamin, increasing requirements of the vitamin. The vitamin may mitigate aspirin-related toxicity and damage to the gastric mucosa.

Outcome of co-administration of the herb/supplement containing zinc and acetylsalicylic acid is not clearly known. Aspirin may prevent neuronal death due to zinc and change urinary zinc and serum. Therefore, close monitoring required during co-administration.

When antibiotics are administered with the herb/supplement featuring Albizia lebbeck, antibacterial properties of Albizia may increase medicine effect. Co-administration is recommended but regular monitoring is necessary.

If antibiotics and the herb/supplement containing Armoracia rustica are administered together, antibiotic mechanism of horseradish may enhance effects of the medicine. When antibiotics are administered with the herb/supplement containing Scutellaria baicalensis, additive effect is likely.

Co-administration of prednisone and triamcinolone, corticosteroids administered to treat allergic rhinitis and sinusitis, requires monitoring. Excessive use of corticosteroids may damage tissues and impair process of wound healing and immune function. The vitamin, however, prevents the adverse effects of the corticosteroids.

There are several other medicines and herbal formulae for sinusitis, which may have both positive and negative effects. Thus, let your physician decide how to treat sinusitis.