Overview

Jamaican dogwood is a tree. The root bark is used to make medicine.

People use Jamaican dogwood for anxiety, sleep problems, nerve pain, migraine, and other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses. Using Jamaican dogwood can also be unsafe.

Be careful not to confuse Jamaican dogwood with American dogwood.

How does it work ?

Jamaican dogwood might cause sleepiness, decrease pain and swelling (inflammation), and decrease muscle spasms in internal organs.

Jamaican dogwood might cause sleepiness, decrease pain and swelling (inflammation), and decrease muscle spasms in internal organs.

Uses & Effectiveness ?

Insufficient Evidence for

More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of Jamaican dogwood for these uses.

Side Effects

When taken by mouth: Jamaican dogwood is LIKELY UNSAFE when taken by mouth. Jamaican dogwood is an irritant. It can also cause numbness, tremors, salivation, and sweating. Elderly people are especially sensitive to these effects.

Special Precautions and Warnings

When taken by mouth: Jamaican dogwood is LIKELY UNSAFE when taken by mouth. Jamaican dogwood is an irritant. It can also cause numbness, tremors, salivation, and sweating. Elderly people are especially sensitive to these effects. Pregnancy and breast-feeding: It's LIKELY UNSAFE for pregnant women to take Jamaican dogwood by mouth. It can affect the uterus. It is also LIKELY UNSAFE for breast-feeding women to take Jamaican dogwood by mouth because of the poisons it contains.

Children: Jamaican dogwood is LIKELY UNSAFE for children when taken by mouth. They are especially sensitive to the poisons this plant contains. Do not give Jamaican dogwood to children.

Surgery: Jamaican dogwood might slow down the central nervous system (CNS), causing sleepiness. There is a concern that it might slow down the CNS too much when combined with anesthesia and other medications used during and after surgery. Stop using Jamaican dogwood at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.

Interactions ?

    Moderate Interaction

    Be cautious with this combination

  • Sedative medications (CNS depressants) interacts with JAMAICAN DOGWOOD

    Jamaican dogwood might cause sleepiness and drowsiness. Medications that cause sleepiness are called sedatives. Taking Jamaican dogwood along with sedative medications might cause too much sleepiness.

    Some sedative medications include clonazepam (Klonopin), lorazepam (Ativan), phenobarbital (Donnatal), zolpidem (Ambien), and others.

Dosing

The appropriate dose of Jamaican dogwood depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for Jamaican dogwood. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.

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CONDITIONS OF USE AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This information is meant to supplement, not replace advice from your doctor or healthcare provider and is not meant to cover all possible uses, precautions, interactions or adverse effects. This information may not fit your specific health circumstances. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified health care provider because of something you have read on WebMD. You should always speak with your doctor or health care professional before you start, stop, or change any prescribed part of your health care plan or treatment and to determine what course of therapy is right for you.

This copyrighted material is provided by Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Consumer Version. Information from this source is evidence-based and objective, and without commercial influence. For professional medical information on natural medicines, see Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Professional Version.
© Therapeutic Research Faculty 2020.