Herbal Remedies FAQ -- Scrutinizing Herbal Remedies

Can herbal remedies stand up to the scrutiny of scientific analyses?

Although the use of herbal remedies is widespread and has been for thousands of years, science only recently has begun to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of herbal preparations. Herbal remedies can be tested by the same scientific methods as pharmaceutical drugs. In fact, these methods have a history of use for studying individual plant chemicals that are the basis for pharmaceutical drugs. For example, one important evaluation method is the randomized, placebo-controlled trial. This method and other modern methods are used to test a small portion of the herbs that have a tradition of use for health purposes. Some, but not all, herbs tested by these research methods were able to live up to the claims that were made for their use.