© 2002 Evidence-Based Nursing
Treatment
Review: evidence is incomplete on the benefits and risks of commonly used herbal medicines
Ernst E. The risk-benefit profile of commonly used herbal therapies: ginkgo, St. John's wort, ginseng, echinacea, saw palmetto, and kava. Ann Intern Med 2002 Jan 1;136:42–53
QUESTION: What are the benefits and risks of commonly used herbal medicines?
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
Systematic reviews were identified by searching Medline, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, CISCOM, AMED, and the Cochrane Library (from inception to October 2000), and by contacting experts.
Systematic reviews were selected if they included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) done in humans on ginkgo, St John's wort, ginseng, echinacea, saw palmetto, or kava.
Data were extracted on the common and manufacturer names and uses of each herbal medicinal product, type and quality of the systematic reviews, sample sizes, and results.
2 reviews (of adequate and good quality) of ginkgo showed positive effects on memory impairment, although these results are questionable because of the possibility of publication bias. 2 reviews (of adequate to good quality) of ginkgo showed beneficial effects in dementia. 1 adequate quality review of ginkgo for tinnitus also had questionable results because of the lack of rigorous trials. 1 good quality review of ginkgo for intermittent claudication showed that ginkgo led to
School of Nursing, University of Texas Houston
Houston, Texas, USA
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