I would like to talk about herbal medicines and some issues concerned about it. till yesterday i was thinking it has to be FDA approved but i found that Herbal supplements are considered foods, not drugs, by the FDA and, therefore, are not subject to the same testing, manufacturing, and labeling standards and regulations as drugs.

heres some more inforamtion from different websites

Herbal supplements are products made from plants for use in the treatment and management of disease and certain medical conditions.

Many prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications also are made from plant derivatives, but these products contain only purified ingredients and are regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Herbal supplements may contain entire plants or plant parts; moreover, they are considered foods, not drugs, by the FDA and, therefore, are not subject to the same regulations as traditional medications.

some of the most commonly used herbal medicines are Black cohosh, Echinacea,evening primrose,feverfew,garlic, gingko biloba, gingseng, greentea,etc.

some available in Nepal are mrigmadasav, trifala churna, drakchadi churna, sitopaladi,etc

The advantage herbal medicine has over pharmaceutical drugs is the factor of safety. When was the last time you heard or read of someone dying from a reaction to an herbal preparation. Of course, one can overdose on anything. Enough water can kill you. However, taken as directed, herbal preparations are extraordinarily safe, and in the experience of most people, at least equally effective. Another plus is the fact that they are considerably less expensive than many pharmaceutical drugs.

Herbal medicines are not sublect to US FDA since its considered as food not drugs but the product ingredients are testified by NTP(National Toxicology Program). Active and toxic ingredients continue to be nominated and being studied by NTP. We need more study coz less research has been done compared to pharmaceutical drugs.

thank you