Herbal Medicine

Herbal medicine uses various remedies derived from plants and plant extracts to treat disorders and maintain good health. Another term for this type of treatment is phytotherapy.

Healthy Eating Club has a Drug-nutrient and drug-herb interactions page which shows which herbal medicines and supplements are considered safe and which to avoid when taking various medications.

To find information on herbal medicines, follow the links below.

Reviewed January 2008

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Related HealthInsite Topics
Chinese Traditional Medicine
HealthInsite Topic Page
Links to information on chinese traditional medicine, including a specific topic page on acupuncture.
Kava
HealthInsite Topic Page
Links to information about kava (also known as kava kava or Piper methysticum), which is used by Pacific Islanders and some Aboriginal communities for use as a social and ceremonial drink.
St John's Wort
HealthInsite Topic Page
Links to information about St John´s Wort as a herbal medicine.
Systematic Reviews of Herbal Treatments
HealthInsite Topic Page
Links to summaries of systematic reviews of the evidence for the effectiveness of herbal treatments.
32 Resources Found
Results 1 to 20 displayed.
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Title:   Herbal medicine
Publisher:   Better Health Channel
Description:   Herbal medicine is the use of plants to treat disease and enhance wellbeing. Herbs can act on the body as powerfully as pharmaceutical drugs and need to be treated with the same care and respect.
Date:   Jul 2007
Title:   Homeopathy
Publisher:   Better Health Channel
Description:   Homeopathy is a holistic system of medicine. It claims to stimulate healing responses to diseases by using substances that mimic the symptoms of those diseases in healthy people. Homeopathy claims to treat the symptoms of a wide range of illnesses including allergies, asthma, eczema, hayfever, headaches, stress and respiratory infections.
Date:   Oct 2008
Title:   Menopause and complementary therapies
Publisher:   Better Health Channel
Description:   The use of complementary therapies to manage menopausal symptoms is popular but remains controversial. Some of these therapies have not been subjected to clinical trials. Popular therapies include phytoestrogens, wild yam creams and herbal medicines.
Date:   May 2007
Title:   Menopause
Publisher:   Better Health Channel
Description:   Menopause, also known as the change of life', is the last menstrual (monthly) period in a woman's life. It is a natural occurrence and marks the end of the reproductive years, just as the first menstrual period marked the start.
Date:   Jan 2008
Title:   Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa)
Publisher:   Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
Description:   The expert advisory group considered that Black cohosh is still suitable for use in complementary medicines, but recommended a revised warning statement on the medicine label.
Date:   May 2007
Title:   Common cold treatments
Publisher:   myDr
Description:   The symptoms of the common cold can be relieved by a number of different non-prescription products available from your pharmacist.
Date:   May 2002
Title:   Tea
Publisher:   Healthy Eating Club
Description:   Tea has been implicated in protecting against heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer and even possibly skin cancer if the tea is drunk with lemon!
Date:   Mar 2001
Title:   Safety of Ayurvedic medicines in Australia
Publisher:   Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
Description:   The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is aware of recent research into the toxic heavy metal content of some Ayurvedic herbal medicine products from India and Pakistan that are available in the United States.
Date:   Apr 2005
Title:   Arthritis treatment with topical herbal remedies
Publisher:   myDr
Description:   Herbal remedies generally have either a warming or anaesthetic effect in the treatment of arthritis.
Date:   Feb 2001
Title:   Questions & answers for the identification of herbal materials and extracts
Publisher:   Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
Description:   The overarching principle for the identification of herbal starting materials is traceability to a primary source or certified herb.
Date:   May 2004
Title:   Considering your options
Publisher:   The Jean Hailes Foundation for Women's Health
Description:   Lifestyle issues, exercise, diet and an emphasis on prevention of disease is vital at this stage of life. The benefits of hormone therapy - HT (also known as Hormone Replacement Therapy - HRT) for menopause symptoms is well established.
Date:   Mar 2008
Title:   Black Cohosh and liver damage
Publisher:   The Jean Hailes Foundation for Women's Health
Description:   In October 2002, in the Medical Journal of Australia, there was a single case report of a 47 year old Australian woman who developed acute hepatitis and subsequently required a liver transplant. It was reported that this woman had been taking a Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) preparation for one week.
Date:   Oct 2007
Title:   Consultation (Draft) Regulation Impact Statement - An impact statement on the proposed amendments to the current regulatory system for herbal and homoeopathic medicines in Australia
Publisher:   Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
Description:   This Consultation (Draft) RIS has been prepared to present the options available and assess the impact of the proposed changes to the way in which herbal and homoeopathic medicines are currently regulated in Australia. Comments from stakeholders are sought in response to this.
Date:   May 2006
Title:   Natural therapies
Publisher:   InfraPsych
Description:   Often referred to as 'complementary' or 'alternative' medicine, natural therapy is a popular system of health care used separately to, or in conjunction with, conventional medicine.
Date:   Jun 2008
Title:   Urticaria: treatment
Publisher:   myDr
Description:   Find out all about treatments for urticaria (hives) - an itchy rash characterised by raised, red welts on the surface of the skin.
Date:   Jun 2006
Title:   Menopause management
Publisher:   The Jean Hailes Foundation for Women's Health
Description:   Not all the symptoms experienced by women in midlife are the result of declining oestrogen levels. Herbal therapies may manage mood changes such as anxious thoughts and depressed feelings, as well as fatigue and low energy.
Date:   Jun 2008
Title:   Arthritis treatment with dietary supplements
Publisher:   myDr
Description:   There are benefits and risks in using complementary medicine to treat arthritis.
Date:   Feb 2003
Title:   Herbal medicine
Publisher:   myDr
Description:   Herbal medicine is considered to be the most ancient form of healing. Herbs have been used in most traditional cultures and have had an extraordinary influence on many systems of medicine, with many prescription drugs still derived from trees, shrubs, or herbs.
Date:   Oct 2004
Title:   Renaming of complementary medicine ingredient - Serenoa serrulata
Publisher:   Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
Description:   The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) Herbal Ingredient Names Committee (HINC) considered the naming of Serenoa serrulata at its twenty-eighth meeting.
Date:   Jan 2007
Title:   Safety of black cohosh
Publisher:   The Jean Hailes Foundation for Women's Health
Description:   Article discusses the questions raised about the safety of black cohosh, specifically with regards to liver damage and breast cancer.
Date:   Dec 2007
Results 1 to 20 displayed.
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