What Your Doctor Wants You to Know About Herbs

It only takes a few moments of searching the internet to find statements like, "Most doctors know little about herbs." But have you ever asked yourself if statements like those are really true? Here are six things your doctor wishes you knew about herbs and herbal medicine.

Myth: Herbs have no side effects.

Truth: The truth is, everything has the potential to create unwanted side effects. Think about this for a moment. How can something so powerful that it can reverse an existing disease not also be strong enough to create an undesired effect? Need more proof? Just ask any herbalist about St. John's wort--one of the most-cited herbs in all of herbal medicine not only for side-effects but also for its ability to interact with both prescription and herbal medicines.

Myth: Doctors are stupid when it comes to herbs.

Truth: One of the most persistent myths in herbal medicine claims that doctors don't prescribe herbs because they don't know enough about them. The truth of the matter is that doctors do know a lot about herbs because studies are regularly published in the medical journals they read regularly. A quick search on PubMed, the leading online directory of mainstream medical journals, will return thousands of searches for phrases like "herbs" and "alternative therapies".

Myth: Herbs aren't being studied scientifically.

Truth: Herbs are being studied scientifically and the results aren't just being published in fringe journals read by naturopaths and other "natural" practitioners. In just the first quarter of 2007, herbal studies supporting the use of various herbs appeared in Journal of Asthama, Harvard Men's Health Watch and other mainstream journals and newsletters.

Myth: My doctor will frown on my herb use.

Truth: Your doctor is probably more open-minded than you think. It's true that many doctors are reticent to prescribe herbs but that's because herbs are often unproven and this exposes your doctor to potential liability issues. Most doctors don't have an automatic bias against "natural" medicines.

Myth: Herbalists are more ethical than doctors.

Truth: Americans spend billions on herbal medicines every year. There's a lot of temptation for fraud in any industry that large and you need only turn on a late-night "infomercial" to see proof of it in action. Complicating the issue is that herbal medicine, unlike mainstream medicine, has no large advocacy group like the American Medical Association and no real regulatory agency like the Food and Drug Administration.

Regardless of where you stand on the topic of herbal medicine, don't let myths like these scare you away from a potentially valuable healing art. Today's herbalism is more science-based than ever and more and more M.D.s are turning to it for help. Never before has herbalism enjoyed such a position of legitimacy in medicine.