Top-Selling Herbal Supplements

OBJECTIVE: To familiarize pharmacists with the pharmacology, indications, doses, standardization, adverse effects, and interactions of eight of the best-selling herbal supplements-echinacea, garlic, ginkgo, ginseng, kava, saw palmetto, St. John's wort, and valerian-to enable them to better help patients wisely choose herbal supplements, monitor herbal supplement use, and counsel patients regarding potential problems. Specific learning objectives include: Define OSHEA and list the implications of that act for pharmacists and patients. Given an herbal supplement: 1) determine an acceptable indication and dose for that indication; 2) list the common or serious side effects induced by that supplement; and 3) provide information applicable for patient counseling. DATA SOURCES: Literature references. CONCLUSION: Given the growth in interest and huge sales volume of herbal supplements, pharmacists must become knowledgeable about these products to help patients sort factual from fraudulent information. Although t...