Herbal Coumarins

What Are Herbal Comarins?

Did you ever smell the highly evocative fragrance of newly mown hay or grass in your backyard garden? Virtually every plant and grass in the world contains an aromatic group of compounds called coumarins, and these are the factors that provide lightly smelling fragrance to the leaves and stem of plants. Herbal Coumarins exist in almost every plant and herb family, and these plants use them as self-growth inhibitors, as well as defensive compounds to fight infections and parasites. Many plants belonging to the group of   bean family, citrus family and parsley-fennel family, show a large amount of coumarins in their biochemical structure.

Effects of Herbal Coumarins

Left by itself, herbal coumarins have a limited effect on your body, but one of its metabolites, di-coumarol, is a powerful anti-clotting agent. Modern medicine has employed coumarin, as an ingredient for Warfarin, which is an anti clotting medication that is used as a preventive agent against development of thrombosis. Plants containing coumarins such as Angelica and Lovage are used as diuretics and digestives. It is not yet clear as to how these minute compounds act or perform, though they are known to act as waste products, plant growth regulators, anti fungal and microbial agents.

Use of Herbal Coumarins 

Coumarins are an important variety of organic compounds that are used as ingredients in food and cosmetics, optical brightening agent industry, and they are also dispersed in fluorescent and laser dyes. More commonly, coumarins display antifungal, hypotensive, anticoagulant and antimicrobial properties. Herbal coumarins are also phototoxic and skin sensitizing. 

Coumarins are known to interact dangerously with other drugs that contain some MAO inhibitors, as well as specific antibiotic preparations. Your physician may ask you to ingest coumarin based drugs, one or two hours before or after consuming all other drugs and medications. Dong Quai, a Chinese herb is possibly one of the classical examples of an herb containing liberal amount of coumarins. The natural vasodilators compounds that are found in Dong Quai act by stimulating and exciting the nervous system and enabling smooth blood flow throughout your body, slowing the current pulse rate and by improving circulation system. Coumarins are also known to contain very efficient antispasmodic properties, and this herb is very good in easing menstrual cramps and pain by relaxing the muscles in the uterus.

Herbal coumarins are also located in many parts of an herb called Tonka beans and the anti-coagulant properties of the coumarin compounds found in this herb are very strong and effective; with other sensitive drugs this class of coumarin may cause blood hemorrhages. To use such a powerful plant factor, you may need to exercise enough caution and anticipate all potential health hazards.