Also called: Botanicals · Phytotherapy
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Herbal Medicine
An herb is a plant or plant part used for its scent, flavor, or therapeutic properties. Herbal medicines are one type of dietary supplement. They are sold as tablets, capsules, powders, teas, extracts, and fresh or dried plants. People use herbal medicines to try to maintain or improve their health.
Many people believe that products labeled "natural" are always safe and good for them. This is not necessarily true. Herbal medicines do not have to go through the testing that drugs do. Some herbs, such as comfrey and ephedra, can cause serious harm. Some herbs can interact with prescription or over-the-counter medicines.
If you are thinking about using an herbal medicine, first get information on it from reliable sources. Make sure to tell your health care provider about any herbal medicines you are taking.
It sits within Wellness and Lifestyle and Complementary and Alternative Therapies.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Herbal Medicine
361 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Mechanism Study of Yangyin Roujin Formula in the Treatment of Fibromyalgia SyndromeJuan Jiao
- Efficacy and Mechanistic Evaluation of Hewei Anchang Formula for Overlapping Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Patients With Coexisting Functional Dyspepsia and Diarrhea-Predominant Irritable Bowel SyndromeXiyuan Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences
- Effects of Hirudotherapy, Phytotherapy, and Forest Therapy in Adults With Reduced Work Capacity or Special NeedsKlaipėda University
- Safety and Dose-Response of Bletilla Formosana in Prediabetic SubjectsChang Gung Memorial Hospital
- Pilot Trial for Health Products on Mood and Sleep QualityThe University of Hong Kong
- Shuganhuazhuo Formula for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Damp-Heat SyndromeXiang-Qian
Research already completed
- The Efficacy of Lavender Herbal Tea in Premenstrual SyndromeSakarya University
- Clinical Investigation of Herbal Formulation and Its Efficacy in Polycystic Ovarian SyndromeJinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre
- Effect of NAE on Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)Jinnah Sindh Medical University
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- About Herbs, Botanicals and Other ProductsMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Botanical Dietary Supplements Background InformationNational Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements
- Dietary and Herbal SupplementsNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
- Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD)National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements
- Herbal MedicineJohns Hopkins Medicine
- Herbs at a GlanceNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
- MedlinePlus: Herbs and SupplementsNational Library of Medicine
Related Issues
- Alerts and AdvisoriesNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
- Herbal Supplements and Heart Medicines May Not MixMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Natural Doesn't Necessarily Mean Safer, or BetterNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
- St. John's Wort and DepressionNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Herbal MedicineNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Phytotherapy. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Herbal Medicine, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.