ABSTRACT
Taking herbs is an old, enduring means of treating human illnesses. By one World Health Organization estimate, nearly 80% of the world’s population use herbal medicine for some aspect of their primary healthcare (EHP, 1998). In 1994, the US Congress reduced FDA control over herbs and other dietary supplements, making them more accessible to a thriving American market. The executive director of the American Botanical Council estimates that 30% of US adults use some type of herbal product, and by year 2000, annual sales exceeded $5-billion (EHP, 1998). Worldwide, herbal remedies are rapidly gaining popularity as a result of dissatisfaction with conventional medicines (Bateman et al., 1998). Although it is a widely held belief that herbal preparations are “natural” and therefore intrinsically harmless, their effects can be very powerful, potentially toxic, or fatal.
