Background

Wahoo is a tree. The trunk, root bark, and fruit are used to make medicine.

Despite serious safety concerns, people take wahoo root bark for indigestion, constipation, and water retention. They also use it as a tonic and to stimulate bile flow. Bile is produced by the liver and is important in the digestion of fats.

Safety Safety definitions

Wahoo is UNSAFE. It is poisonous and even deadly. Symptoms of poisoning include severe upset stomach, bloody diarrhea, fever, shortness of breath, unconsciousness, spasms, and coma.

Special Precautions & Warnings:

While wahoo is UNSAFE for anyone to use, some people are especially sensitive to the toxic effects. Be particularly careful not to use wahoo if you have one of the following conditions:

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Wahoo is UNSAFE. If you take it while pregnant or breast-feeding, you will endanger yourself as well as your baby.

Diarrhea: Wahoo contains caffeine. The caffeine in wahoo, especially when taken in large amounts, can worsen diarrhea.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): Wahoo contains caffeine. The caffeine in wahoo, especially when taken in large amounts, can worsen diarrhea and might worsen symptoms of IBS.

Stomach and intestinal problems: Wahoo could make stomach and intestinal disorders worse.

Effectiveness

Dosing & administration

The appropriate dose of wahoo 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 wahoo. 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.

Interactions with pharmaceuticals

Antibiotics (Macrolide antibiotics)

Interaction Rating=Moderate Be cautious with this combination.

Wahoo can affect the heart. Some antibiotics might increase how much wahoo the body absorbs. Increasing how much wahoo the body absorbs might increase the effects and side effects of wahoo.

Some antibiotics called macrolide antibiotics include erythromycin, azithromycin, and clarithromycin.

Antibiotics (Tetracycline antibiotics)

Interaction Rating=Moderate Be cautious with this combination.

Taking tetracycline antibiotics along with wahoo might increase the chance of side effects from wahoo.

Some tetracycline antibiotics include demeclocycline (Declomycin), minocycline (Minocin), and tetracycline (Achromycin).

Digoxin (Lanoxin)

Interaction Rating=Major Do not take this combination.

Digoxin (Lanoxin) helps the heart beat more strongly. Wahoo also seems to affect the heart. Taking wahoo along with digoxin (Lanoxin) can increase the effects and the side effects from digoxin (Lanoxin). Do not take wahoo if you are taking digoxin (Lanoxin) without talking to your healthcare professional.

Quinine

Interaction Rating=Moderate Be cautious with this combination.

Wahoo can affect the heart. Quinine can also affect the heart. Taking quinine along with wahoo might cause serious heart problems.

Stimulant laxatives

Interaction Rating=Moderate Be cautious with this combination.

Wahoo is a type of laxative called a stimulant laxative. Stimulant laxatives speed up the bowels. Taking wahoo along with other stimulant laxatives could speed up the bowels too much and cause dehydration and low minerals in the body.

Some stimulant laxatives include bisacodyl (Correctol, Dulcolax), cascara, castor oil (Purge), senna (Senokot), and others.

Water pills (Diuretic drugs)

Interaction Rating=Moderate Be cautious with this combination.

Wahoo might affect the heart. "Water pills" can decrease potassium in the body. Low potassium levels can also affect the heart and increase the risk of side effects from wahoo.

Some "water pills" that can deplete potassium include chlorothiazide (Diuril), chlorthalidone (Thalitone), furosemide (Lasix), hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ, HydroDiuril, Microzide), and others.

Interactions with herbs & supplements

Herbs and supplements that contain caffeine: Wahoo contains caffeine. Using it along with other products that also contain caffeine increases the risk of experiencing caffeine side effects including sleep problems and irritability. Some natural products that contain caffeine include coffee, black tea, green tea, mate, cola, and others. Avoid using wahoo with any of these.
Herbs that contain cardiac glycosides: Wahoo affects the heart. Herbs that contain chemicals called cardiac glycosides also affect the heart. Using wahoo along with any of these herbs increases the risk of heart damage. Herbs that contain cardiac glycosides include black hellebore, Canadian hemp roots, digitalis leaf, hedge mustard, figwort, lily-of-the-valley roots, motherwort, oleander leaf, pheasant's eye plant, pleurisy root, squill bulb leaf scales, star of Bethlehem, strophanthus seeds, and uzara. Avoid using wahoo with any of these.
Horsetail: Horsetail increases the production of urine (acts as a diuretic) and this can cause the body to lose potassium. Wahoo can also cause the body to lose potassium because it is a stimulant laxative. Stimulant laxatives speed up the bowels. As a result, food may not remain in the intestine long enough for the body to absorb minerals such as potassium. This can lead to lower than ideal potassium levels. If potassium levels drop too low, the heart may be damaged. There is a concern that using horsetail with wahoo increases the risk of losing too much potassium and increases the risk of heart damage. Avoid using wahoo with horsetail.
Licorice: Licorice causes the body to lose potassium. Wahoo can also cause the body to lose potassium because it is a stimulant laxative. Stimulant laxatives speed up the bowels. As a result, food may not remain in the intestine long enough for the body to absorb minerals such as potassium. This can lead to lower than ideal potassium levels. If potassium levels drop too low, the heart may be damaged. There is a concern that using licorice with wahoo increases the risk of losing too much potassium and increases the risk of heart damage. Avoid using wahoo with licorice.
Stimulant laxative herbs: Wahoo is a stimulant laxative. Stimulant laxatives speed up the bowels. As a result, food may not remain in the intestine long enough for the body to absorb minerals such as potassium. This can lead to lower than ideal potassium levels. There is a concern that taking wahoo along with other stimulant laxatives herbs can make potassium levels drop too low, and this can harm the heart. Other stimulant laxative herbs are aloe, alder buckthorn, black root, blue flag, butternut bark, colocynth, European buckthorn, fo-ti, gamboge, gossypol, greater bindweed, manna, Mexican scammony root, rhubarb, senna, and yellow dock. Avoid using wahoo with any of these.

Interactions with foods

There are no known interactions with foods.

Action

Wahoo might stimulate the digestive tract and affect the heart. There isn't enough information to know how it might work for as a medicine.