Herbal Remedies

Conservative estimates suggest that at least 12 percent of the U.S. population uses herbal medicines, and the number is increasing, yet these products are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. This review considers the evidence on the safety and efficacy of herbal medicines, focusing on four – Ginkgo biloba, hawthorn, saw palmetto, and St. John's wort – that have been evaluated in a sufficient number of randomized, controlled trials to permit an assessment. This review assesses the safety and efficacy of ginkgo biloba, hawthorn, saw palmetto, and St. John's wort. Herbal medicine is an increasingly common form of alternative therapy in the United States. A 1997 survey estimated that 12.1 percent of adults in the United States had used an herbal medicine in the previous 12 months (as compared with 2.5 percent in 1990), resulting in out-of-pocket payments of $5.1 billion. 1 Among those who had used herbal medicine, 15.1 percent had seen an alternative-medicine practitioner, with a total of 10.5 million office visits, 19.8 percent of which had been completely or partially covered by insurance. Regulation Most herbal products in the United States are considered dietary supplements and thus are . . .