Herbal medicines put into context

doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7420.881

BMJ 2003;327:881-882 (18 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7420.881

Editorial

Herbal medicines put into context

Their use entails risks, but probably fewer than with syntheticdrugs

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Recent reviews have rightly alerted us to the risk associatedwith herbal medicines.¹ This is necessary and important. Butthe more important question probably is—do the risks ofherbal benefits outweigh their potential for harm? ThereforeI will try to put herbal medicines into context and considerthe benefit they might bring.

The potential benefits of herbal medicines could lie in theirhigh acceptance by patients, efficacy, relative safety, andrelatively low costs. Patients worldwide seem to have adoptedherbal medicines in a major way. Survey data from the UnitedKingdom show that herbal medicine has been tried by about 30%of the British population.² The associated out of pocket expenditurewas estimated to amount to £31m (US$47.7m; €45m)in the United Kingdom² and £1.3bn in Germany.³ Herbalmedicines are used predominantly for minor and self limitingindications, with respiratory tract infections heading the list.³But even for those conditions . . . [Full text of this article]

E Ernst, director

Complementary Medicine, Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, Exeter EX2 4NT (Edzard.Ernst@pms.ac.uk)

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Ferner, R. E, Beard, K. (2005). Regulating herbal medicines in the UK. BMJ 331: 62-63 [Full text]

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