Chronic pain. Osteoarthritis. Migraines. Breast-cancer patients are using acupuncture to combat nausea and pain during chemotherapy or radiation. And for menopause, women are trying everything from St. John’s wort to ginseng, green tea, dong quai and black cohosh.
No, these remedies are not currently under regulation by the Food and Drug Administration. Prescription drugs are tightly regulated. So are over-the-counter remedies, such as Tylenol and aspirin. But anything sold as a nutritional supplement–whether it’s vitamin C, magnesium or melatonin–is treated as a foodstuff, not a medicine.
I prefer to look to those products that have been prepared under some form of careful standardization. Some of the larger pharmaceutical companies have started to make these herbal preparations. They can afford to refine the herbal extracts and safely standardize them so that you get exactly the same amount and quality of herbals in every pill. Also, groups like the United States Pharmacopoeia are in the process of developing an approval process to identify the best herbal products.
People need to understand that herbals must be honored and respected as medicines. You can’t just assume that because it comes from a green plant, it’s free of side effects. In fact, more than 25 percent of conventional medicines in the Physicians’ Desk Reference are derived from plant sources. The cancer drug Taxol comes from the yew bush. Aspirin is derived from willow bark. These are very potent plants. And they have side effects.
Gingko biloba may improve memory, but at higher doses it’s a blood thinner. St. John’s wort shows great promise as an antidepressant, but one of its common side effects is an uncomfortable rash that appears on the skin after exposure to the sun. The danger is that people are taking many herbs and adding on lots of vitamin supplements, and they’re not adding up the amount they’re getting. They’re thinking, If a little is good, then a lot is better. That can be a real problem.
People are wandering into vitamin shops and listening to clerks who have absolutely no medical background. And studies suggest that 80 percent of the people using complementary modalities are not telling their primary-care physicians. New information will help. Pharmacists are now putting together continuing-education programs because they’re getting so many calls from people inquiring about the safety of mixing herbs and other supplements with conventional medications. And last year the first Physicians’ Desk Reference devoted to herbal medicines was published. It describes hundreds of different herbs and talks about their recommended uses and side effects.
We still need a more comprehensive research database. And we still need more knowledgeable doctors. Physicians and nurses and other health professionals need to study this field. They do not need to advocate herbal medicine, but they should understand it. Remaining ignorant is a disservice to their patients.
People are taking vitamins and nutrients because they’re too busy to shop and eat well. But the best way to pick up the great majority of minerals and vitamins is in whole foods. With an orange, for example, you’re getting bulk and fiber as well as vitamin C. Herbals should be used as adjuncts to healthy living. Taking an herbal is no substitute for taking care of yourself.
