Efficacy of Commonly Used Botanicals Questioned

Efficacy of Commonly Used Botanicals Questioned

SAN FRANCISCOAccording to a recent review of commonly used plant-basedmedicines in the United States, only fourgarlic, Ginkgo biloba, St. Johnswort and saw palmettoare likely to be effective based on systematic reviewsof evidence. The study was published in the April 1 issue of The AmericanJournal of Medicine (116, 7:478-85, 2004) (www.amjmed.org.).

According to researchers from the University of California, San Francisco,after a systematic review of the literature, they concluded the efficacy of mostof the ingredients was questionable. They found garlic reduced total cholesterolby 4 percent to 6 percent; ginkgo improved scores on the Alzheimers DiseaseAssessment Scale by approximately 3 percent; 56 percent of St. Johns wortsubjects responded to treatment versus 25 percent of placebo subjects; and sawpalmetto was shown to improve urinary tract symptoms and flow rates. Researchersfound no statistically significant evidence of efficacy for the remaining sixmost commonly used plant-based ingredients: echinacea, ginseng, grape seedextract, green tea, bilberry and Aloe vera.

Their findings led the researchers to call into question the efficacy ofother plant compounds. Despite the limited evidence for these 10 commonlyused [botanicals], there is likely far less or no evidence for the remainder ofthe estimated 20,000 herbal products available in the United States, wroteStephen Bent, M.D., lead author of the study.