Herbal Medicine

For as long as humankind has suffered from illnesses, it has looked for substances to alleviate its symptoms. Since the early 20th century, those medicines have tended to be the standardized synthetic drugs found behind any pharmacist's counter; before that, however, the nature and practice of prescription was different. The medicinal use of herbs dates back thousands of years and is common to all cultures, and in fact, many current prescription medications are derived from botanicals. There is a cultural element to the use of traditional remedies that may confound a nonintegrated approach; treatments are recommended by friends at least as often as by physicians, and users show a remarkable amount of resolve—one study indicated that 72 percent would continue use even after a scientific study with negative results. There is a push toward evidence-based medicine in the United States, and many herbal products are undergoing clinical trials to determine their efficacy with mixed results. Patients may seek out herbal products, feeling they are safer than prescription products, as they are natural. Many examples of adverse events exist in the medical literature, at times due to interactions with prescription medication. Through the education of the public as well as healthcare workers, some of these adverse events may be avoided.

The foreword to the Physician's Desk Reference on Herbal Medicines (3rd ed.), defines herbal medicine as preparations derived from naturally occurring plants with medicinal or preventive properties. Natural remedies are popular throughout the planet, although their use is often manifested differently depending upon the prevailing healing traditions of the given culture. In America, the use of alternative or complementary avenues of healthcare—often including herbal medicines—is on the rise.

The lack of a strong foundation of empirical data regarding their efficacy, and poor communication between conventional healthcare providers and their herb-taking patients produces a strained and potentially dangerous environment, but the potential benefits of this and other complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities have prompted many modern physicians to seek a fruitful integration of botanicals and pharmaceuticals. Many patients will not tell their physician, even if asked about herbal use, as they feel the physician may be scornful, or may not know about herbal products. Many physicians fail to ask patients about the use of these products, possibly leading the patient to believe their use is unimportant. Medical schools traditionally do not educate students about CAM modalities, although this is beginning to change.