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Herbal remedies
September 2001
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Scenario
It has been estimated that one in three Canadians have
used herbal remedies in the last year. Listed below are the ten most
commonly used herbs in herbal remedies. As an informed consumer your job
is to select one of these herbs used for medicinal purposes and find out
all you can about how this herb is used and report on how effective you
think it is at doing what is says it does for you.
| Echinacea |
| Ginseng |
| St. John’s Wort |
| Goldenseal |
| Gingko Biloba |
| Aloe |
| Garlic Siberian |
| Ginseng |
| Saw Palmetto |
| Valerian |
Part A. Research
- Identify the herb you have chosen to research.
- Use the internet to search then list all the reported
health benefits you can find of using this herb.
- What part(s) of the plant are used to make this
herbal remedy?
- Identify the active ingredient in this herb (if it
has been found).
- Go to a store which sells various brands of this
herb. Find three different manufacturers and make a chart comparing
the products using the following headings:
name of manufacturer, cost per 100g, form (tea,
tincture, or a capsule), variations in content, part of plant used,
standardized extract, recommended dosages, claims (referring to what
it is used for) made on the bottle, safety seal under cap,
side-effects listed on bottle, other.
- Go to Consumerlab.com
and find out if your herbal remedy has been analyzed by this
independent consumer organization. If your herb has not been analyzed
look at the results for another herbal remedy listed. What do the
findings from these analyses reveal to you?
- Try to find evidence from clinical studies which
support the use of this herbal remedy.
- Try to find evidence from clinical studies which
contradict or at least do not support the claims made by the
manufacturers.
Part B. Analysis
- Do you feel manufacturers are doing a good job of
providing a proven, effective, quality product which is safe for
consumers?
- Do you feel the Government of Canada should regulate
herbal remedies more strictly? To what degree do you feel western
medicine has shut out herbal remedies without even entertaining the
fact they might be beneficial especially since they are reported to be
so successful elsewhere? Why do you think they have done this?
- What advice would you give to people who use herbal
remedies or are thinking of using them to treat an ailment?
Suggested Sites for Information on Various Herbal
Remedies
Adverse Effects
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