How Do Herbal Resources Measure Up?

Zierler-Brown S

Approximately 50 percent of Americans buy herbal supplements for a holistic approach to healthcare. Consumers spend about $5 billion each year on supplements, yet rely mostly on friends and family as their primary information resources about herbs. Other sources include newspapers, magazines, government reports, and websitesâ€”but more than 70 percent of people don't tell their doctors about using supplements. In the past, few US medical schools included herbal instruction in curricula, but nearly 75 of them currently teach alternative medicine. With all of the possible misinformation and subjective material available on herbs, it is essential for healthcare personnel to find the best resources to advise patients properly. Physicians often rely on availability, familiarity, and cost to determine which resource to follow because it can be labor-intensive to explore all of the options. According to PharmacoInformatics, a review of seven possible healthcare-professional sources found the following three to have the most valid, easy-to-understand patient education:

Natural Medicine Database (www.naturaldatabase.com), effective in information such as interactions, herbal usage per disease state, adverse reactions, safety, and efficacy based on clinical trials.
The Natural Pharmacist (www.tnp.com), solid in areas such as interactions, herbal usage per disease state, adverse reactions, contraindications, and efficacy based on clinical trials.
AltMed on MICROMEDEX (www.micromedex.com), sound in topics such as interactions, herbal usage per disease state, contraindications, safety, and efficacy based on clinical trials.

The Natural Medicine Database and The Natural Pharmacist also received the best ratings for overall quality information and cost. Such resources can provide physicians the means to share correct, important information about herbal supplements with patients. J Am Pharm Assoc Nov/Dec 2001;41(6):896-897. Return to Top