Clinical trials of herbal treatments.
The deregulation of the marketing of dietary supplements with health claims has increased interest in evaluating the clinical effectiveness of these products. Clinical trials of herbal treatments pose challenges of limited preclinical data, lack of product standardization and characterization, and difficulties of blinding, which are substantially different from those in studies of conventional medications. These issues must be recognized and addressed if studies of herbal remedies are to provide useful information.
Turner
Ronald B
RB
Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA. rbt2n@virginia.edu
D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003139:Common Cold / Q000188:drug therapy*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D020900:Echinacea; D006801:Humans; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D010936:Plant Extracts