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Mixing herbal remedies with conventional drugs can result in a wide range of dangers, according to a study. The researchers uncovered dozens of cases in which alternative treatments appeared to have altered the effects of prescription medication, either diluting it, making it more potent or causing potentially dangerous side effects. Charles Awortwe, of the University of Stellenbosch in Tygerberg, South Africa, and first author of the paper, said his team was prompted to investigate because of the wide-spread use of herbal medicines alongside prescription drugs.