Pharmacognosy & Herbal Products

Herbal medicine is a growing part of the U.S. drugs and supplements industry. Pharmacognosy is the scientific study of drugs that are derived from nature. There are an increasing number of resources to help pharmacists and the public find out about new and experimental herbal treatments. In addition, the National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is conducting a number of Phase III trials. These studies will provide the kind of evidence that we depend upon for FDA-regulated medications.

Online Resources

Natural Standard UNC Access ONLY
This database provides evidence-based information about complementary and alternative therapies. Validated rating scales (A-F) are used to evaluate the quality of available evidence for each therapy. Information is incorporated into comprehensive monographs which are designed to facilitate clinical decision making as well as patient handouts and quick guides.

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database UNC Access ONLY
This resource presents a consensus of current scientific information of practical and clinical importance to health professionals covering herbal medicines, dietary supplements, and other natural medicines. Please note: access to this database is limited to fewer than five concurrent users. If you are not able to get into the database, please try again later.

MedlinePlus: Drugs, Supplements, & Herbal Information
This database contains information for common supplements and herbs from Natural Standard. Information includes dosing, evidence-based uses, and cautions. It is geared towards use by the general public. The Mayo Clinic Drugs & Supplements page also incudes listings from Natural Standard.

eFacts UNC Access ONLY
eFacts is the online version of Facts and Comparisons. Drug information, interactions, and patient handouts are included within this package, which is regularly updated. eFacts includes information about herbal and natural medicines in the "Herbal Interaction Facts" and "Review of Natural Products" sections of the website.

MICROMEDEX Healthcare Series UNC Access ONLY
MICROMEDEX Healthcare Series is a compilation of databases designed to support clinical decision making by providing comprehensive drug, acute care, and toxicology information. The AltCare Dex product contains patient-oriented leaflets on dietary supplements (herbals, vitamins, etc.), complementary and alternative medicine therapies, and the treatment of common health conditions using complementary medicine techniques.

IBIDS Database
The International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements (IBIDS) is a database of published, international, scientific literature on dietary supplements, including vitamins, minerals, and botanicals. IBIDS is produced by the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National Institutes of Health to assist the public, health care providers, educators, and researchers in locating credible, scientific information on dietary supplements.

TCM HerbLibrary Registration Required
This site, hosted by the Rocky Mountain Herbal Institute, contains a database of herbs organized by botanical name, taste, clinical functions, contraindications, dosages, recommended preparation, physiological and pharmacological notes. The herb records are structured by primary function category, according to the traditional Chinese classification system, as well as by alphabetical indices by Mandarin and by Latin pharmaceutical name. Also included on this site is an electronic textbook of Traditional Chinese Herbal Sciences. Registration is required in order to obtain a user name and password to access the database.

HerbMed
HerbMed is an electronic, interactive herbal database which provides hyperlinked access to the scientific data underlying the use of herbs for health. It is an evidence-based information resource for professionals, researchers, and the general public. HerbMed was created by the Alternative Medicine Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax exempt organization which was formed to provide evidence-based research resources for health care professionals and responsible and reliable information for patients and consumers.

Alt HealthWatch and AMED UNC Access ONLY
These two databases of literature for alternative and complementary therapies offer scholarly and consumer-oriented information. Both can be searched at once, or one can be selected to be searched alone. Alt HealthWatch "provides full text for more than 140 publications in the collection, including full text for many peer-reviewed journals... back to 1990." AMED "is a database for physicians, therapists, medical researchers and clinicians looking for information regarding alternative treatments to conventional medicine, dating back to 1985."