MAC Messages Number 102:
January/February 2004

Favorite Websites
By Vicky Spitalniak, Carroll General Hospital

HerbMed (www.herbmed.org), a project of the Alternative Medicine Foundation, is a web-based resource that provides access to the scientific data underlying the use of herbs for health. It can be accessed without cost and provides evidence-based information resources relevant for professionals, researchers, and the general public. The HerbMed database contains information on 187 herbs and other natural substances commonly used in alternative and complimentary medicine, such as black cohosh, chamomile, St. John's Wort, and tea tree oil.

Individual HerbMed records are quite detailed. Each record contains the following informational categories: Evidence for Efficacy (Human Data), Warnings, Methods of Preparation, Formulas/Blends, Evidence of Activity, Dynamic Updates, and Other Information (including related links). Within these categories are sub-headings such as Clinical Trials, Traditional and Folk Use, Adverse Effects & Toxicity, Pharmacodynamics, Contemporary Formulas, and Folk Blends. While most records do not have information in each sub-heading, the majority of records contain extensive overall information, including links to PubMed records, U.S. patents, reference excerpts (e.g., The Families of Flowering Plants), and records from additional related databases (e.g., Agricola and the HortiPlex Plant Database).

HerbMed is fully searchable from the site's home page. Searches are performed on terms of the individual user's choosing. Such terms may include herb names (scientific or common), particular chemicals or other substances, and health/medical issues and/or conditions. Search terms can be truncated and expanded with an asterisk (e.g., immun* will be expanded and searched to include: immune, immunization, immunity, etc.). The search operators AND, OR, and NOT can be used to link multiple search terms. If desired both multiple operators and parenthesis can be used in a single search query. Clear and concise search help is available via the "How To Search" link found just to the right of the search box and button on the HerbMed home page. Also included in the HerbMed Website are two complete browsable herb lists, which are organized alphabetically either by common name (e.g. licorice) or scientific name (e.g. glycyrrhiza glabra).

An enhanced, fee-based product, HerbMedPro, is also produced by the Alternative Medicine Foundation. However, the data contained in HerbMed and HerbMedPro appear to be very similar, although it should be noted that HerbMed is updated twice a year, while HerbMedPro is updated continuously. Those seeking pricing information for HerbMedPro are directed to send an email to inqueries@herbmed.org.

Go to the previous article | Go to the next article |
Return to the Table of Contents | Return to the top