Republished from
Lesbian Health News
Vol. 9, No. 2, January/February 2002, Page 4-5.

Herb Safety

Using the Scientific Method to Keep Yourself Safe.
by Cheryl J. Mason-Middleton

First of all, I'm not a professional when it comes to herbs and herbalism. I'm just an individual who, for reasons of my own, needed to find alternatives to mainstream medicine and became interested in the potentials that herbs had to offer. Professionally, I work in a library. I'm a researcher. And, as a researcher, I have a very solid grasp of the benefits of doing my homework.

I'm not going to recommend this or that particular herb for this or that particular complaint. I'm not a physician, nor a pharmacologist, nor even an ethno-botanist, and I'm not interested in getting into trouble for practicing without a license. I will, however, give you some guidelines to follow while you do your own research.

My research has found a wide variety of resources on herbal subjects; from the scientific (complete with the technical bafflegab), to the "poetic" (for lack of a better word) with it's whole focus on heavenly matters -having little earthly good, to the outright erroneous and dangerous.

Don't get me wrong here regarding the heavenly and spiritual approaches to life. Current research, following proven scientific methodology, has shown a solid mind-body connection. There is a lot to be said for the benefits of a balanced spiritual life - including a heavenly outlook. But, if you are interested in the potentials that herbs have to offer and want to keep yourself safely out of the hospital, a practical approach is absolutely necessary, and there are some very important recommendations that you should follow.

Before you do anything else, check your information source's sources of information. (say that one five times fast!) If they site solid scientific research, and back up any claims that they make with proof, you have a potentially good resource.

Testimonial (also called anecdotal) proof isn't always the best. Things work because of a variety of factors, and if the "proof' is a list of people for whom a particular herb had a particular effect, you should be asking yourself, "What do these people have in common, in themselves and/or in their environment, which might have made this herb work for them?" and, "Do I have the same factors in myself and/or in my environment, and do I have no other factors that would cause this herb to harm me?" Testimonial proof is less than complete, and needs careful scrutiny before you should rely upon it.

Science offers an opportunity to explore not only that a particular herb works, but why it works, and under what circumstances should you expect it to work, or not work, or work too well. If your facts are carefully laid out, and you can see them, you have a better understanding of what you are getting yourself into.

Back in Arizona, when I was in college, one of the favored weekend activities for the students was "tubing down the Salt River". At one place on the river was a very high cliff from which the students would jump into the river. Some places under the cliff were shallower than others, and more than one person dove head first into three feet of water with the result being something between paralysis and death. You need to know what's in the water before you take the plunge.

The scientific method is very simple:

  • 1. Hypothesis:
    • This herb, called Q, is reported by anecdotal evidence to work for treating ailment B (cause by bacteria B).
  • 2. Design:
    • Analysis shows a variety of active chemicals in a tea made from herb Q, and one (herb Q chemical) will be selected for study.
  • 3. Test:
    • Herb Q chemical reacts positively on bacteria B in a laboratory petri dish, causing the bacteria colony to significantly diminish in size.
  • 4. Theory:
    • Herb Q chemical seems to successfully treat ailment B.
  • 5. Is the Test Repeatable?
    • In other laboratory trials, in a variety of conditions, herb Q chemical successfully treats ailment B. In some conditions it does not.
  • 6. Fact:
    • Herb Q chemical is successful against bacteria B in a set of specific circumstances.
  • 7. Repeat Process for Each Active Chemical in Herb Q.
  • 1. New Hypothesis:
    • Herb Q has been reported by anecdotal evidence to be safe for the treatment of ailment B
  • 2. Design:
    • Clinical trials of each of the active chemicals in herb Q following computer and laboratory models leading to volunteer testing.

One hypothesis leads to the next until the chemicals in Herb Q are proven to be "safe and effective" in treating ailment B. These test provide not only the proof that the herb is effective, but that it won't kill the patient while curing the disease. The information that you get is: who can benefit from this herb, what dose is effective, when the herb would best be taken, what environmental factors will change the herbs effectiveness, why the herb works, and how you can best benefit from taking this herb without causing yourself injury .These trials are made to prevent you from ingesting something that could cause you harm.

Testing depends upon the motivation of the tester, on the resources available to the tester, and quality of the tester's experience and training. As an interested individual, I'm not qualified to provide good quality testing on a particular herb, no matter how happy I am with the results I get when I take the herb. However, laboratory work from a qualified university research team can generally be trusted to provide good, well documented and factual information about the herb in which I'm interested.

If you pick-up a book that tells you to use this or that herb for this or that complaint, it should also tell you where and by whom the herb was tested -usually in notes in the back of the book.

Heard time and time again, is "consult your physician", especially if you have a medical condition that requires a physician's attention. The herb that you sip in your tea may be fine, just off the grocery store shelf for the average individual, but might interfere with your body in ways that you might never have imagined, and maybe sending you to the hospital.

Case in point: Uva Ursy (Bear Berry), has been shown to be effective for certain urinary tract problems. And, it can do quite nicely for certain acute difficulties if taken in moderation. But, over use of this herb can cause you to develop kidney problems, and if you already have kidney problems, you run risks that could lead to kidney failure.

In your grocery store, in the herbal tea section you might find a blend of tea that says it's "made for women", and this blend might have uva ursy in it. The company who makes this tea isn't trying to sell something that will harm you, and in most cases it won't, because for most people an herbal tea is an occasional thing to drink. But, it is a good thing to know what you are drinking and how it will effect you before you drink it. And, it's also good to remember to take all things in moderation. Over use of this tea may cause you more problems than it helps.

Just as with any medication, don't take any herb just because your friend said you should try it for your particular complaint. It's just as bad as sharing prescription medications. If your friend offers you Ginkgo, and you are taking Coumadin, you could have serious interactions including uncontrolled hemorrhage:

Bromelains, danshen, dong quai ( Angelica sinensis ), garlic, and Ginkgo biloba are associated most often with an INCREASE in the effects of COUMADIN . Coenzyme Q 10 (ubidecarenone) and St. John's wort are associated most often with a DECREASE in the effects of COUMADIN.

Physicians Desk Reference Online http://www .pdrel. comlpdr/

By the way, your friend, administering Ginkgo tea to you can be charged with practicing medicine without a license.

If my friend asks me what I do for a particular complaint, I will tell th~m, but I will also tell them that it might not work for them, and they should talk to their doctor first.

Herbs are a powerful and effective resource for establishing and maintaining good health. If you know what you are doing, and have good information at hand, and can reasonably and rationally discuss these things with your physician (if you have the university studies and the solid scientific research to show her, she will have a greater respect for your efforts in making your request), you should be able to get along just fine in using herbal alternatives. Always be sure about what you are putting in your body. When your mother said, "You are what you eat", she wasn't kidding.

Cheryl J, Mason-Middleton holds a BFA from Arizona State University with a minor in Library Science, and works as a Library Associate at Ohio State University. She also served as an Emergency Medical Technician while living in Arizona. Confessing & great respect for the Science of Medicine, she also professes a great dismay with medical arrogance. This dismay led her to a personal study of Herbal Medicine which has been ongoing for some twenty years.



Webpage built by Cheryl J. Mason-Middleton, BFA. This page was last modified on 08/25/04. Copyright © 1999-2009 Cheryl Janice Mason-Middleton.