Herbal Nutrition Supplements

Is it a good idea to take a herbal nutrition supplement? And what is a herbal supplement anyway?

Well, a herbal supplement can be almost anything, and the truth is that you need to be a little careful when shopping for this type of dietary additive, for the simple reason that they are really almost completely unregulated.
The FDA, which tests all pharmaceutical drugs, has nothing to do with herbal supplements, which are actually listed as foods, with no proven medical potency.

Now, we all know that herbs do have an effect on the body, so this means that you really do need to use common sense in taking herbal nutritional supplements.

How can you get good, reliable advice and worthwhile herbal supplements?

The best way to decide on a herbal supplement is not by asking friends or co-workers, who usually have either tales of losing pounds on a particular ( usually really expensive) herbal supplement, or horror stories of palpitations and fainting due to their Chinese, privately imported supplement.

Neither is it much use asking most medical doctors- they may be able to help you steer clear of the worst of the dangerous supplements ( and there are dangerous ones) but they are not trained in the use of natural medicine.

The worst idea of all is to buy whatever is advertised as this months wonder supplement- there is nothing really new under the sun, and most herbal remedies are the result of centuries of hard work and studying. This months wonder supplement will be next months has-been.

The best option is to go to a herbal medicine specialist.
The best known of the herbal medicines are Chinese and Ayurvedic, both of which stress the importance of individual diagnosis. So, no diagnosing yourself over the internet!

The supplements prescribed are usually in the form of teas or skin rubs, or in Ayurvedic medicine, baths. Both Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic use many healing methods and are complete philosophies. Both are used in their home countries together with conventional medicine. Ayurvedic medicine originated in India and came to the west during the 20th century, as did Chinese medicine, as people tired of the inadequacies of western medicine. The best known of the Ayurvedic herbs is probably Ashwagandha, a general tonic believed to improve memory and reduce anxiety, and to have a similar effect to Asian ginseng. ( Wagner H, N?rr H, Winterhoff H. Plant adaptogens. Phytomed 1994;1:63-76.Bone K. Clinical Applications of Ayurvedic and Chinese Herbs. Queensland, Australia: Phytotherapy Press, 1996, 137-40.)

The herbs used in these systems originally were bought in their fresh or dried forms and prepared according to the practitioners instructions. While this is still true part of the time, often nowadays herbal nutritional supplements are sold in the form of ready to swallow pills. Sounds good, huh? Easy, quick and efficient? Well, not really. When you buy herbs in their natural form its easy to see what you are getting and how much. Pills are too often an easy way to get very little active ingredient and a lot of flour. Because they arent regulated, you need to check the label really carefully to make sure you arent getting an expensive placebo. If you want to take herbal nutritional supplements as a pill, at least ask advice from a reputable natural medicine practitioner as to which brand to buy.

During the next few months we'll be developing a database of common herbs and their effects, according to natural, Chinese and Ayurvedic principles. While this isnt intended to encourage anyone to take a supplement without medical advice, it may be helpful for other confused folks like I was when I first started looking at herbal supplements, to find out what herbs exist and what they are supposed to do!