Selective Guide to Herbal Resources on the Internet

Journal of Family Practice, July, 2000 by Marsha J. Handel, Debbie Oberlander

Use of herbal preparations has become widespread, with sales in the United States reaching $2.5 billion annually and growing.[1] The public is self-prescribing based on word of mouth recommendations, consumer literature, advertising claims, news stories, and other nonclinical sources. Communication about use of herbal products between physician and patient is often limited. Patients may feel uncomfortable reporting such use, and physicians may feel they lack adequate information to give responsible advice.

The Internet can be a useful tool for accessing information about medicinal herbs. We review several sites that appear to be relevant to physicians. Our selection criteria included clinically pertinent information about herbal preparations; authority, currency, content, structure, and design; quality of links; ease of use; availability of contact information; and documentation. Remember that the Internet is dynamic, and readers will likely encounter changes in these sites.

We are not recommending the use of herbal preparations and are not in the position to validate the information on these Web sites. The intent of this review is to save physicians time in finding what appears to be higher-quality Web sites. Note that even the highest-quality information available on herbal products is not the same as that available for pharmaceuticals approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, considering the imperfect nature of information in this area, it is even more critical to attempt to find sites with the best available information.

Marsha J. Handel, MLS Debbie Oberlander, MS, RD, CNSD New York, NY

REFERENCES

[1.] Grauds C. Botanicals: strong medicine for health and profit. The Source 1997; 3:1.