Are Herbal Medicines Effective?
Many herbs have shown positive results in-vitro, animal model or small-scale clinical tests but many studies on herbal treatments have also found negative results. The quality of the trials on herbal remedies is highly variable and many trials of herbal treatments have been found to be of poor quality, with many trials lacking an intention to treat analysis or a comment on whether blinding was successful.
There are herbal medicines available that claim to treat almost any common complaint, but there is often limited scientific evidence that herbal medicine really work. Phytotherapy is based on evidence from clinical trials, but traditional herbal medicine isn't. There has been little research on traditional herbal medicine and none of the evidence proves its effectiveness. There is no statutory regulation of herbal medicines at present, so you can't be sure that a herbal medicine definitely works, what it contains or whether it was produced properly. Although some herbal medicines, may be helpful for certain problems, this doesn't mean they are safe in all situations or suitable for you as an individual. Herbal remedies have been widely used for many years and may be useful for self-treating minor illnesses. However, natural does not mean harmless and you should take care not to exceed the recommended doses.
Risks or Side Effects of Herbal Medicine
Like any medicine, herbal remedies can have side-effects. These are the unwanted, but mostly temporary, effects of a successful treatment. Herbal remedies may also interact with other medicines. In some cases, herbal medicines offer an inexpensive and safe alternative to pharmaceuticals.
Proper double-blind clinical trials are needed to determine the safety and efficacy of each plant before they can be recommended for medical use. In addition, many consumers believe that herbal medicines are safe because they are natural. Herbal medicines may interact with synthetic drugs causing toxicity to the patient, herbal products may have contamination that is a safety consideration, and herbal medicines, without proven efficacy, may be used to replace medicines that have a proven efficacy.
Standardization of purity and dosage is mandated, but even products made to the same specification may differ as a result of biochemical variations within a species of plant. Plants have chemical defense mechanisms against predators that can have adverse or lethal effects on humans. Although not frequent, adverse reactions have been reported for herbs in widespread use.
Herb drug interactions are a concern. In consultation with a physician, usage of herbal remedies should be clarified, as some herbal remedies have the potential to cause adverse drug interactions when used in combination with various prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals.