How effective are herbal medications??

Strawberri

You have stores like Healthy Options advertising herbal medications and their supposed good effects. Are they really effective? I remember, when my friends and I went to Bacolod, we drank Echinacea tablets to fortify ourselves and kahit naulanan kami, none of us got sick. On the other hand, so many people warn me naman na hindi pa proven ang effects nito.

Ira

Herbal medications today are considered the latest thing. They are, in the sense that science is beginning to confirm which plants really work well medicinally, which ones don't, and which ones are downright dangeous. But just because a substance is called natural does not mean that it can't be as potentially dangerous as a conventional drug or that it won't interact with any other medication. So be careful of what you buy, and how much you take.

The most promising herbal medications based on scientific research are: ginkgo biloba, St. John's wort, echinachaea, valerian,and feverfew.

Dangerous herbs include: chapparal (kidney and liver problems), comfrey (highly toxic to liver and kidneys), ephedra (palpitations, dangerously elevated BP, even cardiac arrest and stroke), lobelia (slows breathing and dangerously lowers BP), pennyroyal (its oil is poisonous), senna (large amounts may cause diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain), and yohimbe (anxiety, stomach problems, high BP, heart damage).

For archival purposes, please check these threads and post possible follow-up replies in any one of them instead:

herbal medications
Herbal Remedies