Posted by Meri-Tuuli on October 13, 2006, at 13:45:41
In reply to Lot of info about Saint John's!, posted by psychobot5000 on October 12, 2006, at 22:56:23
Hey!
Well I'm glad we can have this dialogue.... The thing is, 'drugs' like SJW don't have the corporate advertising, marketing stategies that Big Pharma sponsered drugs do. SJW can't be patented - there's no profit in it.
>But I was also referring to the other research that is behind legal drugs, showing toxicity, half-life, interactions,and etc, which I don't -believe- has been done systematically for hypericum. It would be very difficult to, since we don't know what exactly are the active chemicals or mechanisms...this makes me less comfortable with it.
There are studies out there on SJW, Jlx highlighted some of these - there are ones with the side effects/interactions too. I'm too lazy to find them out! But simply there aren't that many because SJW doesn't have that many interactions/side effects to begin with. The Extended Commission E monographs systematically reviews all the literature on an available herb and gives it a thorough review. Which is fantastic, because you have a one-stop reference source....I don't know if the same exists with conventional drugs. Also, the vast majority of herbs side effects/interactions pale in comparison to conventional drugs. Plus theres all that Big Pharma industry sponsered research...
> That is an excellent quote! It definitely true that there seems to be this monopolistic Big pharma thing going on that dominates everything. ...I just get very frustrated with the alternative industry for what I see as misleading people about how much is -actually known- about their products.
Thanks!
But herbs have histories of *centuries* of use - they have been popular folk remedies before even the advent of modern pyschiatry! Tea and coffee are 'herbs' that we use everyday without thinking about it.Of course you should be senisble and exercise caution and things and read up about the herbs.
But, in comparison to conventional drugs, I do believe that they are the more benign. I read an article which said that 10,000 people in the UK are put into hospital due to adverse reactions to medications that their doctors had prescribed them. I honestly honestly doubt that *that* many have been put into hospital due to herbs.
And if its any help, they are completely totally paranoid about herb safely - kava kava being one example. In the herb industry, they completely lean toward the ultra-safe side of things. I really doubt the same could be said of the conventional drug industry. I mean, if prozac, now its proven to cause suidcial tendancies in young people, were a herb, it would be completely abolished! There would be an outcry! But no, prozac is still being prescribed, albeit with cautions. Herbs don't have PR people......
But anyway....
Let the dialogue continue!
Kind regards
Meri
poster:Meri-Tuuli
thread:691467
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20061013/msgs/694499.html