There are a growing number of people who bestow implicit faith in herbal remedies and supplements be it for general health care or for treating a specific ailment. There are also a growing number of customers who are completely taken aback when they find that some ingredients are not only proving ineffective but not suiting them at all. Ignorance about certain basic facts about herbal products could be behind this type of situation. Here are some factors which need to be considered if you want to be completely sure whether a particular herbal supplement would be beneficial for you or might turn to be an useless and ineffective choice. 

·        There can always be false or unproved claims made by several herbal product makers. When you read a claim which seems too good to be true, chances are that they are. Hence the best thing to do is to rely more on your own research than to believe the labeling claims. Remember the FDA has no role to play in herbal remedies and the makers can easily make tall claims, since they are not answerable to any legal authority or statute.

·        It is highly possible that herbal remedies and supplements though made with ‘natural’ ingredients, may have adverse drug reactions with your existing medication. A simple example is that herbal products containing garlic, ginger and ginseng can put you at risk if you are on aspirin! Many herbal supplements can put you at risk, if you have an underlying medical condition for which you are already on specific medication.

·        It is not true that the higher the concentration or amount of herbs in a drug, the more effective it can be. This means that taking a particular supplement you could be consuming a high dose of calcium, which could result in kidney stones or even increase risk of prostate cancer.

·        Stop believing that herbal remedies and medicines can cure just about any disease. Though there are several folklore and traditional grandma stories about how herbs can cure even the rarest of the rare disease, use your intelligence, search for relevant information before you begin to consume the herbal supplement or any other herbal medicine.

Last but not least a very  important point to remember is that there is no medicine on earth which does not result in some kind of possible side-effects. If you do not know any doctor who is knowledgeable about herbal medication, it is better that you do your own research and find out more about the ingredients and their role in our bodies. Also ensure that you are buying your herbal supplements made by reputed manufacturers and always buy them from reputed shops.