Herbal Medicine: 101

March 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment

As a pediatrician trained in both western (M.D.) and alternative (Ayurvedic) medicine, I am always careful to ask the families in my practice what vitamins or supplements or herbs they have added to their daily health regimen so that we can work together to insure the health and safety of their child.Unfortunately, despite an exponential rise in the number of people in the USA using herbal supplements and dietary supplements, less than half of these people feel comfortable talking to their regular doctor about their use.

Why?

Many conventional doctors are still not comfortable recommending herbal products, often because they have had no formal training in the discipline and feel unsure or insecure about admitting that!

And, many patients come to the doctor’s office having read more about supplements than their doctor, but what is potentially dangerous is that what they have read is not necessarily the most unbiased or accurate information. Remember that herbal products and dietary supplements are unregulated- which means they are widely available but their production, sale and use is not supervised.

For example, herbal products, unlike prescription and over-the-counter drugs, are not regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Therefore, there is no guarantee of purity and some products may contain toxic contaminants including drugs and heavy metals. Furthermore, the claims made on the packages are not regulated, because they are not considered “drugs”so a company can write information about their product that has not been substantiated. Finally, the recommended doses are not held to FDA regulatory standards and can often be dangerously vague.

So, lets review some common herbs that are widely available:
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