No Proof That Tailored Herbal Medicines Provide Any Benefit

Editor's Choice
Main Category: Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine
Also Included In: Clinical Trials / Drug Trials
Article Date: 04 Oct 2007 - 0:00 PDT

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The benefits of individually tailored herbal medicine treatments have so far remained unproven and might be outweighed by the potential health risks suggests an article in Postgraduate Medical Journal. A review of the current laws concerning the regulation of tailored herbal medicinal treatments is currently underway in the United Kingdom.

The authors explain that the promotion of the effectiveness of herbal medications has been growing steadily over the last two decades. However, the bulk of medical research has focused on standard preparations, or single herbal extracts, and not individually tailored treatments used by herbal medicine practitioners.

This fact, say the authors, suggests that practitioners have been sponsored by manufacturers, eager to exploit a growing market of OTC (over the counter) remedies.

The writers analyzed available randomized controlled trials on individually tailored herbal medicine treatments. They searched through published articles and research databases. They also contacted experts in the field and associated professional organizations.

Out of all the studies they looked at, 1,300 in total, only three were randomized controlled trials of sufficient quality to be of any use. These three studies focused on the treatment of knee osteoarthritis, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), and the alleviation of side-effects brought about by cancer drug treatment.

As far as the knee osteoarthritis study or the cancer treatment study were concerned, there were no statistical differences between placebo use and tailored herbal medicine use, say the authors. Although tailored herbal medicine treatments seemed better than placebos for the treatment of IBS, they were not as effective as standard preparations.

The authors conclude that the evidence available to prove that individualized herbal medicine is effective for any indication is zero. They add that the risk of herbs reacting badly with prescription medications or other herbs is unknown.

There is a danger that the public class all herbal medicines equally, Professor Edzard Ernst, the Peninsula Medical School at the University of Exeter, UK, writes in an accompanying editorial. Phytotherapy is being confused with traditional herbal medicine and OTC remedies, which to date have no basis in science, he adds. Phytotherapy, which represents the scientific face of herbalism, has considerable potential to benefit patients.

Professor Ernst concludes "Without these distinctions, we will fail to advance our knowledge of the potential benefits of herbal treatments. More importantly, we will also fail in our foremost duty - to protect the public from treatments that cause them harm."

"A systematic review of randomised clinical trials of individualised herbal medicine herbal in any indication" /
Postgrad Med J 2007; 83: 633-7
"Editorial: Herbal medicine: buy one, get one free"
Postgrad Med J 2007; 615-16

http://pmj.bmj.com

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
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