Herbal medicines are a booming market, as everyone who has been to a
drugstore recently knows. There are so many of them available and so many
different brands to choose from that it's hard to know which one to buy. As
concern has grown over a lack of quality control for many of these herbal
products, manufacturers are entering new debates over herbal product development
techniques.
The crux of the debate: Since the inner workings of every whole plant are
unique and complex, the science of making medicines from herbs may necessitate
different rules than those used for generating conventional single active
ingredient pharmaceuticals. While scientists are quick to focus attention on the
main active ingredient of a plant, herbalists stress the complexity of the
interactions between the different plant parts, which they believe may be the
key to the plant's medicinal effects.
Taking a more conventional approach, some big pharmaceutical companies, such
as Bayer, Warner-Lambert, and American Home Products, have begun to standardize
their products. Standardization is an attempt to make a uniform product from a
nonuniform source. Since plant materials vary by nature, their individual
potencies vary. After a plant product has been analyzed, standardization is
achieved by diluting with other materials or by adding concentrates. Supporters
of standardization say that standardization assures consistency in the strength
of botanical products, allowing for accurate dosing and more reliable results. A
further complication to the issue, however, is that each company establishes
their own definitions for standardization since the government has yet to
regulate the standardization of herbal products. As smaller herbal product
companies rush to standardize, larger companies are promoting their products as
the ones that carry "a name you can trust" since
"all products are not equal."
Meanwhile, naturalists argue that altering the product's ingredients may
alter the product's effects. They value the whole, unaltered plant and want to
see more research done on the interactions of the active ingredients within a
single plant. Naturalists also point out that the solvents used to make
concentrated components may also add residues to the final product.
Many health professionals and consumers like the idea of standardization, but
the dispute rages on over whether standardization is the best way to handle
herbal remedies. More clinical evaluation of both standardized and
nonstandardized products is needed, along with government regulations for
standardization. If you choose to buy a nonstandardized product, be aware
that the effectiveness of the remedy may vary, even within one manufacturer's
product line. If you buy a standardized product, as long as each manufacturer is
setting its own quality standards it may be smart to
"buy from a name you can trust."
