Claims for herbal supplements often talk of cures for many illnesses, but are they safe and effective?

Herbal supplements line the shelves of drug stores and nutrition stores promising to relieve depression, allergies, hot flashes and a multitude of other illnesses. But are they effective in treating people for the specific ailment? A recent guest speaker at SIU School of Medicine, Dr. Stephen Strauss, director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health, says their office is studying these supplements:

SOUND BITE: "Overall these approaches offer alternatives, most of these are probably safe. Some of them may even be effective. The charge that we have at the National Institutes of Health is to ask whether they are as safe as they are claimed to be because people have used them for 1500 years - they believe they are safe. But are they effective, and if they are effective, are they as effective as other modalities we already have?"

Herbal supplements do not require a prescription from a physician, and they are not regulated by the U.S. government as are over-the-counter medicines such as aspirin and Tylenol. This means that there is no standardization for purity, safety and effectiveness. There have been some reports of contamination of these supplements. Strauss explains:

SOUND BITE: ". . . because these are natural doesn't mean they are safe. There are side effects, allergies, adverse reactions and interactions of a number of these herbal products. Now the ability of herbs to interfere with drugs wasn't a problem a thousand years ago because we didn't have drugs for AIDS and cancer and infections and arthritis, but we do today."

Dr. Strauss recommends that you check out the supplements before taking them. Ask your pharmacist about any possible allergic reactions or interactions with other drugs you may be taking. Or visit the National Institutes of Health web site at www.nccam.nih.gov.