For hundreds of years, herbs were the source of medical treatments. Then the traditions of medicine changed, especially in the industrialized nations. Medicines became chemical formulations developed, standardized and scientifically tested for safety and effectiveness.
Now, in the United States, the pendulum is swinging back. Herbal remedies are growing in popularity. A consumer survey by Greg Kitzmiller of Indiana University's Kelley School of Business showed that Americans spend about $5.1 billion a year on herbal remedies.
Projections show the amount spent on herbal products rising to more than $25 billion by 2010.
"Those interested in herbal remedies are not a small segment of the population," said Ann Hertzler, Virginia Cooperative Extension foods and nutrition specialist at Virginia Tech.
Kitzmiller's information was part of a consumer survey of primary grocery shoppers. The survey asked them about products such as echinacea, ginseng, Saint Johnswort, ginkgo biloba and other herbal products as well as food supplements such as multiuse vitamins. He spoke at a teleconference for health professionals including nutritionists, registered dietitians, Extension specialists, health educators and others.
In the preliminary analysis, Kitzmiller noted that about 68 percent of the shoppers used supplements of some sort and, of them, about 29 percent used herbal products. This group was made up of "baby boomers," he said. They were people who didn't want to get old. They also had at least a year of college education and worked at professional careers. Because 80 percent of primary grocery shoppers are women, women made up a large segment of herbal remedy buyers in the survey.
More of primary grocery shoppers who used herbal remedies described themselves as healthy than did those who do not use them. Those who take the remedies also said that their major health concern was stress. Those who did not use herbal products said their No.1 health concern wass caancer or heart disease.
Those who used herbal remedies also reported that they ate a healthy diet. They said they were taking care of themselves and choose food for medicinal purposes.
Comparing those who used herbal remedies to the general population, they were more likely to be vegetarians and to select their vegetables to improve mental performance. They were more likely to use organically grown products and to use soy and other meat substitutes in their diets. About 60 percent shopped at health food stores.
Generally, the individuals using herbal remedies felt knowledgeable about their health. Although they felt stressed, they felt they were doing something about it. They also said they wanted to take natural supplements and reduce their use of prescription drugs.
This profile of a consumer of herbal remedies bears out what researchers are seeing: that health care is moving from treatment of diseases to prevention, and a realization of the importance of diet in health.
For 80 percent of the people in developing nations, herbal remedies are still the only treatment. In the United States, Americans have preferred medicines tested for safety and effectiveness on based on scientific studies, but the "baby-boomer" generation might be changing that, said Hertzler.
Because of the increase in popularity, more scientific studies might be funded on the use of herbal remedies, so that there will be more research-based information available, she said. There have been some studies and a summary of what was available on the commonly used herbal remedies also was part of the presentation.
"Generally, the studies of common herbal remedies showed that perhaps there was some symptomatic relief of some problems, and there usually was not a reversal of the condition," she said.
Some herbal remedies are widely known, and although their claims are based on stories from one person to another, these herbal remedies are probably safe and have some positive eeffect. The concerns, however, are that the herbal remedies vary in potency and preparation, and there is no systematic method for controlling them as there is for medicines. There is a Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, but it is not a regulatory agency.
It is more important to maintain healthy diet patterns, Hertzler said. Herbal remedies are becoming increasingly popular, but there is only a little research into their effectiveness and they cannot be depended on in place of good health habits.
For more information on healthy habits, contact the Virginia Cooperative Extension office in Christiansburg at 382-5790.
- BY : Mary Ann Johnson
- SOURCE : Roanoke Times World News1999.05.20
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