Herbal medicines can do more harm than good, new research has revealed.
There is no evidence to say that therapies which have been individually tailored for each patient work or are safe to use, and they may even be dangerous, say scientists.

Personalised treatments, used in Chinese, Ayurvedic and Western herbal medicine, have become increasingly popular over the past 20 years.

Practitioners mix different combinations of plant extracts to treat ailments such as asthma and arthritis.

But researchers from Peninsula Medical School, Exeter, said these mixtures should be banned.

Dr Peter Canter, who led the trial, said: “There has been a growth of expectation that all illnesses can be cured or helped. If you have a chronic disease and you are desperate you can be preyed upon.

“There is no convincing evidence that individualised herbal medicine is effective and because of the potential for effects, this lack of evidence means its use cannot be recommended.”
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The team analysed three studies which investigated the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee, irritable bowel syndrome and the relief of side effects caused by drug treatment for cancer.

In two of the studies there was no statistical difference in the results from tailored herbal medicine and a placebo treatment.

Tailored herbal medicine seemed to work better than a placebo for irritable bowel syndrome but was not as effective as giving patients standard herbal preparations.

Dr Carter said there were serious safety risks involved, such as adulteration of ingredients with poisonous substances, and interaction with other herbs or medicine.

Via news.sky.com