TRADITIONAL HERBALISTS PRESCRIPTIONS FOR COMMON CLINICAL CONDITIONS -A SURVEY OF MEMBERS OF THE UK-NATIONAL-INSTITUTE-OF-MEDICAL-HERBALISTS

A postal survey of all members of the UK National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH) was conducted to determine what conditions herbalis ts treat most frequently, what herbs or combination of herbs herbalist s use to treat those conditions, and how herbalists rate the effective ness and safety of those herbs. Of the 317 questionnaires sent out, 62 were completed and returned (response rate 19.6%), The conditions mos t commonly listed by respondents as being those that they frequently t reat were: premenstrual syndrome/premenstrual tension; irritable bowel syndrome; menopausal symptoms; eczema; 'arthritis', Several herbs tha t are often used by herbalists in the treatment of these conditions ca n be identified. Many of these herbs have been used traditionally and are rated by herbalists as being safe and effective, but lack evidence to support this from controlled clinical trials. These data could be used to generate hypotheses which, in turn, should be tested, e.g. in randomized controlled trials. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.