Addressing Misinformation on Herbs
Consumer Reports, a typically useful source for reliable information for the consumer, has published a list of supplements to avoid ("12 supplements you should avoid").
In this list were two herbs used within Chinese herbal medicine: Aconite (traditionally named Fu zi) and Bitter Orange (traditionally Zhi ke). For the former, Consumer Reports states "Do not use" (http://nmcd.consumerreports.org/nd/Search.aspx?pt=100&id=609), and it states Bitter Orange is possibly unsafe when taken "for a medical purpose" (http://nmcd.consumerreports.org/nd/Search.aspx?pt=100&id=976).
Based on the general nature and efforts of Consumer Reports, it can be assumed that the intent of making these statements is focused on protecting the consumer, and this is appreciated and to be applauded.
However, in the realm of health and medicine, some distinctions need to be made; this information needs to be amended.
But before going into detail I would like to strongly suggest speaking with a professional of the medical field from which you may be seeking treatment before taking seriously reports or statements from popular media. This can't be stressed enough. We have years and thousands of hours of study and clinical practice in the proper use of medicinals. Our sole focus, our single purpose in providing treatments is improving your health. Period.
First, a general point on professional Chinese herbal medicine (CHM). CHM is rooted in the idea of individualized treatments. Single herbs are very rarely given for a symptom or a disease. That is, in the professional practice of Chinese herbal medicine, there is no such thing as "an herb" for "weight loss" or "headaches". That, quite literally, does not exist.
CHM is a system of thought on how to diagnose and treat illness. It's a specific way of thinking about and approaching the treatment of illness. This seems simple and, perhaps, obvious, but it's a very easy point to forget or overlook.
An example could be a patient suffering from obesity. It is very tempting to classify this person as "obese" and then provide herbs to treat "obesity". That, however, is only one approach to diagnosing and treating people.
In Chinese medicine, we don't treat diseases. That is, we do not learn herbs and herbal formulas for different disease categories, such as "obesity". Instead we treat "disease patterns" as they present in individual patients.
For example, you may have a dozen overweight patients, all technically "obese", but a Chinese medical herbalist would look at each person and determine their unique and specific presentation of over-weightness. We look at the patient, not the disease.
In our medicine, we recognize generic disease categories, but, for us, that's still a very vague representation of the patient; it's not enough to create a treatment plan.
Because our medicine has been evolving for thousands of years, we are able to get very detailed in both diagnosis and treatment, thus allowing us patient-specific treatments.
Closely tied to this idea, our treatments - in CHM, herbal formulas - are tailored to a specific patient's presentation. For example, when prescribing an herbal formula in my private practice, I choose each individual herb and its specific dose for my patient at the time they come in for treatment. That formula is likely going to change week-to-week, as their condition changes, even for the same patient, (much less for a completely different patient, even if suffering from the same general disease). These formulas are designed to match, very specifically, that individual patient's suffering. This individualization of treatments is a hallmark of professional Chinese medicine.
Now, quite importantly, in tailoring herbs to a specific patient, we create a therapeutically balanced herbal formula. Through our in-depth understanding of the patient's state, combined with a complex understanding of herbs, we can pick herbs and amounts of those herbs that match and are perfect for that patient.
Side effects are indications the formula isn't quite right, which means it can be adjusted to eliminate those side effects.
Understanding this, we can make clear how the statement that an herb, such as Aconite, should be avoided because it is "unsafe" makes little sense from a Chinese medical point of view. All herbs have effects. If those effects aren't appropriate for a given patient, then that herb is "unsafe" for that patient, in that situation. To make a blanket statement, implicitly applicable to all people, that an herb is "unsafe" is to assume a completely different mindset than that of a professional herbalist. Such a statement makes no sense in the system of Chinese medical thinking.
To an herbalist, where Aconite is therapeutically indicated - when its unique and quite powerful effects match what the patient needs - Aconite is the best herb for that patient. Again, keeping in mind the medical reality that herbs are very rarely used alone; they are almost always put in combinations of other herbs to balance out each others unique properties to match, perfectly, a given patient's presentation.
Now, Aconite is one of those herbs making up a very small subset of herbs regularly used in CHM that can lead to more severe negative effects, and lead to those effects sooner than most herbs (i.e. with smaller doses), if used inappropriately, which is likely why it has been singled out by Consumer Reports.
Again, though, these negative effects are the result of improper use. They are not unavoidable or inevitable. They only occur where the system of Chinese medicine has been practiced improperly. (A general exception to this is where a patient has unpredictable allergic reactions to an herb. Even the perfect practice of medicine cannot reliably predict such negative allergic reactions to herbs.)
Now, it could be argued that Consumer Reports was speaking more about individuals purchasing, on their own, herbal supplements and consuming them while not under the guidance of a trained professional. In that case, I would agree to avoid these herbs (because, in those instances, proper Chinese medical thinking and analysis would not be employed, thus greatly increasing the likelihood of reactions, as pointed out by Consumer Reports).
In general, I believe Consumer Reports is reliable and useful. Medicine is a whole different world, however. I believe it is always best to consult an expert about your specific condition, when it comes to health and healing.
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