Should You Trust Herbal Remedies?   

People have used leaves, bark, roots, and seeds as medicine since earliest history.  Today, about 50 percent of all medicines can be traced to plants, and most of the rest to minerals, animals, or the human body.  

Are there advantages to using herbs themselves instead of medicines derived from them?  In most cases, no.  In a few cases, perhaps.  Here are some guidelines:

C	Before taking an herb, try changing your lifestyle to reach a health goal.   For example, to lower your cholesterol, try exercising and cutting your intake of saturated fat before taking garlic pills.
C	Most drugs are more predictable and safer than the related herb.  You could brew the bark of the white willow (the source of the active ingredient in aspirin) to treat a headache.  But you wouldn’t know how much bark to use because the active ingredient can vary so much.  
C	Herbal remedies should be taken only for familiar conditions that are helped by self-care.  For example, you may choose to treat minor indigestion with peppermint tea or a superficial burn with aloe.  But it would be very unwise to treat what you think may be an ulcer or cancer with an herb.
C	Tell you doctor before taking herbal remedies.  Some herbs interact with medicines and may be dangerous.  For example, combining gingko and aspirin increases risks of bleeding.
C	Don’t trust hearsay, folklore, tradition, or advertisements.  Look for scientific evidence for the effectiveness of herbs.  Two helpful sources of reliable information are The Honest Herbal and Herbs of Choice, both by Varror Tyler, an expert in the medicinal use of plants.
C	Remember that not all herbs are naturally gentle or safe.  Many are dangerous, typically causing liver or kidney damage.  Some of the most risky herbs are borage, chapparal, coltsfoot, comfrey, foxglove, pennyroyal, pokeweed, rue, sassafras, and sweet woodruff.  
C	Children, pregnant or nursing women, and anyone with chronic and serious health problems should not take herbal medicines without a doctor’s supervision.
C	Keep in mind that no government agency monitors the quality of herbal remedies.  Some herbal products don’t contain any of the herb named on the label.  Some contain tampered or watered-down formulas.
C	Stop taking an herbal remedy right away if you notice a problem.  Call your doctor.  For example, stomach pain, darkened urine, and yellowed skin can be a sign of liver problems.