Common Knowledge:20.Is it better to take herbs as single products or as formulations with more than one herb?

 Is it better to take herbs as single products or as formulations with more than one herb?There are many different uses for herbs, and a number of healing traditions that guide their use (see FAQ 14).

Is it better to take herbs as single products or as formulations with more than one herb?

 There are many different uses for herbs, and a number of healing traditions that guide their use (see FAQ 14). Whether an herb should be taken singly or in formulation often depends on this context. For example, certain alternative medicine practitioners, such as those that practice traditional Chinese medicine, are more likely to use formulations handed down and refined for centuries. In addition, as a general "rule of thumb", herbs may be best taken as a formulation when they are being used to supplement the diet.

 However, as many formulations do not offer the individual herb ingredients in known therapeutic dosages, it is often best to obtain the correct dosage and optimal therapeutic response of the ingredients by taking them singly. This is especially true when the formula remains without clinical studies to determine its merit. The results of clinical studies are more often available on single herbs than on formulations, so there tends to be more "science" behind herbs taken singly.

♣ last edit date:1st,Nov.2010.