The Herbal Physician

The Herbal Physician outlines the major scientific studies associated with herbs and
other supplements that validate their usefulness in the treatment of several common
ailments. By reviewing the information that pertains to your condition, you will be able
to select supplements and herbal medications that have been shown to be effective
through the scientific process.

Although certain herbs may have been used traditionally to treat a disease, a clinical
trial must be conducted in order to determine if that herb is effective. To do so, a
double-blind, placebo-controlled, study must be conducted. In such a study, one group
is given the supplement or medication that is being tested, and the other group is
given a placebo, which is a substance that has no pharmacological effect. The study
is said to be double-blind when neither side is aware of what they are taking. In these
studies, the symptoms often improve in several individuals from the placebo group.
This is known as the placebo effect. It is a psychological component of the healing
process. When people believe that a certain medication will improve their health, their
health will often improve. For this reason, in a double-blind placebo-controlled study,
both groups tend to experience a reduction in symptoms. A supplement or medication
is only proven to be effective in the treatment of an ailment if the test group improves
to a larger degree than the placebo group. All pharmaceuticals are tested using
double-blind, placebo-controlled studies.