A guide to commonly used herbs

Laws and regulations regarding herbs by the FDA

Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994

Herb Research Foundation (non-profit)

Herbal remedies gain in acceptance
-6/29/97

Gingseng $359 million for not much
-2/3/97

The rush is now on to echinacea
-3/17/97

That healing feeling: Medicinal herbs break new ground
-4/18/96

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A guide to commonly used herbs

* = Effective, safe in normal individuals, when used appropriately
? = Inconclusive
X = Ineffective, not safe

common name	source			part used	principal uses	apparent efficacy	probable safety
Aloe	Aloe barbadensis			1. fresh gel	wound healing, burns	*	*
				2. dried juice juice	cathartic	*	*
Apricot pits (Laetrile)	Prunus armeniaca			seed kernels	anticancer	X	X
Butcher's broom	Ruscus aculeatus			rhizome and root	improve circulation	*	*
Calendula (marigold)	Calendula officinalis			flower parts	facilitate wound healing	?	*
Chamomiles and yarrow	Matricaria recutita			flower heads	anti-inflammatory, digestive aid, antispasmodic, anti-infective	*	*
	Chamaemelum nobile			flower heads
	Achillea millefolium			flowering herb
Comfrey	Symphytum officinale and Symphytum x uplandicum			rhizome and roots, leaves	general healing agent	*	X
Dandelion	Taraxacum officinale			1. rhizome and roots	digestive aid, laxative	?	*
				2. leaves	diuretic	?	*
Dong quai	Angelica polymorpha, sinensis variety			root	uterine tonic, antispasmodic, alterative	?	X
Echinacea	Echinacea angustifolia			rhizome and roots, overground plant	anti-infective, wound healing, immune stimulant	*	*
Evening primrose	Oenothera biennis			seed oil	treatment of atopic eczema, mastalgia	?	?
Fennel	Foeniculum vulgare			fruits (seeds)	stomachic, digestive aid	*	*
Feverfew	Tanacetum parthenium			leaves	migraine preventive	*	*
Ginger	Zingiber officinale			rhizome	motion sickness preventive	*	*
Ginkgo	Ginkgo biloba			leaf extract	enhance cerebral blood flow	*	*
Goldenseal	Hydrastis canadensis			rhizome and roots	bitter tonic, digestive aid, treatment of genitourinary disorders	? to *	*
Hawthorn	Crataegus laevigata			fruits (haws), leaves, flowers	dilate blood vessels, strengthen heart, lower blood pressure	*	*
Jojoba oil	Simmondsia chinensis			expressed from seeds	1. antisebum shampoos 2. emollient lotions, cosmetics	?	*
Juniper	Juniperus communis			fruits (berries)	diuretic	*	?
Kelp	Laminaria, Macrocystis, Nereocystis, and Fucus species			entire plant	1. bulk laxative, demulcent	*	?
					2. control obesity, atherosclerosis	X	?
Licorice	Glycyrrhiza glabra			rhizome and roots	expectorant, demulcent, flavor	*	* to X
Papaya	Carica papaya			dried latex and leaves	digestive aid, vermifuge	X	*
Red clover	Trifolium pratense			flowers	alterative, anticancer treatment	X	*
Rose hips	Rosa species			fruits	antiscorbutic	*	*
Rue	Ruta graveolens			leaves	antispasmodic, menstruation stimulant	X	X
Sassafras	Sassafras albidum			root bark	1. stimulant, antispasmodic, sweat stimulant, antirheumatic, tonic	X	X
					2. flavor	*	X
Suma	Hebanthe paniculata			root	adaptogen, cure-all	X	?
Valerian	Valeriana officinalis and related species			rhizome and roots	tranquilizer, sedative	*	*
Witch hazel	Hamamelis virginiana			leaves, bark	astringent	*	*
Yucca	Yucca species			leaves	antiarthritic	X	*

This chart includes data assembled by ''Commission E,'' a special committee of Germany's Federal Health Service set up in 1978. Commission E officials review medical and toxicological studies from around the world on herbal treatments. They look at how the herbs are used as medicines, and whether those uses work and are safe. Their findings are considered the most authoritative available anywhere, and are commonly referred to by supporters and critics of herbal medicine, as well as by the US Food and Drug Aministration.

This translation of Commission E data on some common herbs comes from Varro E. Tyler's book The Honest Herbal: A Sensible Guide to the Use of Herbs and Related Remedies, published by Haworth Press in 1993.