HERBAL MEDICINE

Dangers and Effectivity

A common misconception about herbalism and the use of 'natural' products in general, is that 'natural' equals safe. However many plants have chemical defence mechanisms against predators that can have adverse or lethal effects on humans. Examples are poison hemlock and nightshade, which can be deadly. Herbs can also have undesirable side-effects just as pharmaceutical products can. These problems are exacerbated by lack of control over dosage and purity. Furthermore, if given in conjunction with drugs, there is danger of 'summation', where the herb and the drug have similar actions and add together to make an 'overdose'. In animals, there are other dangers. There may be residues in food from farm animals (e.g. eggs, milk, meat) or danger of 'doping' in competition animals. The latter may also apply to human athletes.

Effectiveness

As noted above, there have been scientific studies which show that certain plant products can cure or prevent certain diseases, and these products or pharmaceutical drugs derived from them are patented by pharmaceutical companies and sold for high profit in modern Western medicine. Pharmaceutical firms argue that the individual should not have control over their health to the point of experimenting with "potentially hazardous materials". [citation needed]

Most herbal traditions have accumulated knowledge without modern scientific controls to distinguish between the placebo effect, the body's natural ability to heal itself, and the actual benefits of the herbs themselves. This is because most knowledge also pre-dates modern discoveries in human physiology and biochemistry. In fact, much knowledge dates back to medieval Europe, and was exterminated along with the witches during the burnings. Together the church and male-dominated 19th and 20th century medicine discredited much of this knowledge, and most has been lost. [citation needed]

There is a danger that herbal remedies will be used in place of other medical treatments which have been scientifically proven to be safe and effective, resulting in the development or worsening of a medical condition which could have been better prevented or treated. There is also a danger that an herbal remedy may itself cause harm which is unanticipated due to a lack of a full understanding of its composition and biochemical effects.

Name confusion

The common names of herbs (folk taxonomy) may not reflect differences in scientific taxonomy, and the same (or a very similar) common name might group together different plant species with different effects. For example, in 1993 in Belgium, in a TCM remedy for weight loss, one herb (Stephania tetrandra) was swapped for another (Aristolochia fangchi) whose name in Chinese was extremely similar but which contained higher levels of a renal toxin, aristolochic acid; this quid pro quo resulted in 105 cases of kidney damage.

Standards and quality control

The legal status of herbal ingredients varies by country. For example, Ayurvedic herbal products may contain levels of heavy metals that are considered unsafe in the U.S., but heavy metals are considered therapeutic in Ayurvedic medicine.

In the United States, most herbal remedies are regulated as dietary supplements. Many herbs for home use can be grown in a small home garden too.

Medical interaction

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. Dangerously low blood pressure may result from the combination of an herbal remedy that lowers blood pressure together with prescription medicine that has the same effect. In particular, many herbs should be avoided during pregnancy. However, most herbal books alert the reader to necessary precautions.

Not all physicians may be familiar with the effects of different types of herbal medicine, but general practitioners should be able to refer patients to a specialist, or investigate the medical literature on their behalf.