James A. Duke

Herbs are still your best bet for a sensible self-care regimen

Anyone who regularly reads the newspapers, listens to the radio or watches the TV news cannot have escaped the "herbs are dangerous" misinformation campaign orchestrated by what I sometimes call the anti-supplement pro-drug lobby--the "herb interaction drug peddlers."

ARE HERBS DANGEROUS?

All biologically active compounds--natural or synthetic--can, theoretically, cause side effects (or unwanted effects) at a given dosage.

Thanks to the evolution of what I call the "green farmacy," most of the compounds in the plants we responsibly use for self-care are safe for most healthy people. This doesn't mean that no one will ever have an unusual reaction, or interaction, with prescription drugs. If a plant is 100 percent safe at any dosage, for any use, then it has no worthwhile medicinal effects.

THE SISYPHEAN ANTI-HERB "SOLUTION"

Just as Sisyphus in Greek mythology was doomed to the impossible task of rolling a heavy stone to the top of a summitless hill, to assure absolute safety we'd need to know the toxic doses of every natural chemical, and how much there is in every single plant in nature. We'd also have to know whether this naturally occurring plant compound worked against, or in concert with, each and every one of the thousands of chemicals within that same plant.

For example, if we look at just one group of active compounds you'll find in herbs, called terpenes, the concentration levels may vary by 1,000 times, sometimes 10,000 times, in one herb group.

Many plants contain traces of cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens), like safrole, which is abundant in the roots of sassafras. One might say, then, that we should ban black pepper, basil and several other important plant foods which contain traces of the carcinogen safrole. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

If it costs 500 million dollars to prove a new drug safe and effective, how much would it cost to prove all the compounds in an herb? Any one of the chemicals may affect the other thousands of compounds. As I contemplate this, I get that same helpless sinking feeling I get when I think about infinity. We have a long way to go!

OUR GENES KNOW

If past experience is any gauge, the anti-herb lobby will get a lot of press this year, over the coming months, talking about "the dangers of herb/drug interactions," and so forth, along with a lot of support from the mass-market drug industry.

To put things in perspective, in terms of safety, our genes have co-evolved with common foods and herbs, but do not yet "know" all the new mass-market pharmaceuticals. Our ancient human genes have lived with and survived natural food- and plant-chemical interactions for several million years, but have experienced the more dangerous pharmaceutical interactions for only about 200 years.

So the next time you turn on the TV, or unfold your morning paper, to a story on the alleged "dangers of herbs" or "herb/drug interactions," you'll be able to avoid some of the hype and the confusion that's for sale that week.

Dr. James A. Duke has more than 30 years experience working with the healing power of plants-- from the jungles of Latin America to a distinguished career as a chief ethnobotanist with the US Department of Agriculture. His knowledge and authority are undisputed in the world of herbal science and healing. Duke's pioneering work with the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research (ACEER) puts him in the forefront of those who are fighting to preserve the Amazonian world: people, plants and their collective wisdom.