Aren t herbal products safer than pharmaceutical drugs because they are made from natural ingredients?
While the pharmaceutical industry has made important progress in recent decades in developing reliable, effective medications, the emphasis on proving efficacy has often overshadowed safety issues. So, despite federal drug regulations, serious safety problems related to pharmaceutical drugs persist. For example, one in five patients seen in a clinic experiences serious side effects, mainly from antibiotics, antidepressants, and anti-inflammatory drugs.(1) Herbal products, although made from natural substances, are the forerunners of synthetic prescription drugs. Up to 25% of medications are derived directly or indirectly from naturally-occurring chemicals from plants, bacteria and fungi, or marine organisms. Like medications, herbal products have a biological action, which is why, in Europe, many herbal products are regulated as drugs. Many herbal products are quite safe and fall into the realm of foods. Examples include gentle herbs, like chamomile and mint, and many of the western to
