• Information Resource: About Herbs, Botanicals & Other Products This up-to-date site provides comprehensive and objective information for oncologists, healthcare professionals, and consumers. This site is managed by a medical staff and oncology-trained pharmacist and botanicals expert.  from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
   
• Index of Herbal Medicines and Supplements from Harvard Medical School
   
  
• Herbs & Dietary Supplements, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (nccam.nih.gov)
  
  
• National Institude of Health (NIH) Office of Dietary Supplements (dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov)
  
  
• Herbs, Vitamins and Minerals from the American Cancer Society
  
  
• Consumer Reports Medical Guide (MedicalGuide.org) Requires yrly subscription of $19--includes information on the safety, efficacy and potential harmful effects of nearly 14,000 supplements.
  
  
• Product Testing of Herbs and Dietary Supplements, Sports and Energy Products, etc. (ConsumerLab.com) Subscription required. Provider of independent test results and information to help consumers and healthcare professionals evaluate health, wellness, and nutrition products. For example, specific brands of multivitamins are tested and results are available to subscribers.

"Natural" is an abused and overused word and has become a tool of a booming, and rapidly growing, multimillion dollar industry.  Herbal drugs, claiming to provide gentle, safe and natural relief of common ailments, line many shelves of grocery stores and pharmacies. 

People tend to think the word "Natural" means it's safe. It is important to be aware that many prescription drugs also come from natural sources, such as digitalis, penicillin, morphine, and aspirin.

Herbal remedies are manufactured into pills, sold in a bottle, and enter the blood stream once swallowed, just like prescription drugs. They can either add to or work against the effects of other drugs that you might be taking. Even when used by themselves, herbal preparations can also be unsafe and cause complications or toxic side effects. When people are taking herbal products along with other medications, possible side effects can be difficult to anticipate, and this is especially serious for elderly people.

A recent survey found that15% of Americans regularly use herbal supplements and these numbers are quickly growing. This rate has jumped by 380 percent between 1980 and 1997.  That rapid increase has slowed somewhat, but is still on the rise and is contributing to a national health problem for the following reasons:

1. There are no Federal quality controls for herbal and dietary supplements and there is a lack of consistency in dose and quality of many products that appear on the market. In other words, the label may not necessarily match the ingredients
2. Unlike prescription or over-the-counter drugs, which must be proven safe before they're sold, federal laws allow the sale of supplements unless the Food and Drug Administration proves that they're harmful.
3. Most herbs and supplements have not been thoroughly tested for interactions with other herbs, supplements, drugs, or foods.
4. Many of the dietary supplements on the market have adverse effects and interact with commonly prescribed drugs, including those used for anesthesia during surgery.
5. Many regular users of dietary supplements do not inform their doctors of their use and this can be dangerous.