With alternative medicine an increasingly popular choice today,
people often make self-prescribed choices based on catalogs, internet
sites and visits to health food stores.

But using herbal home remedies can be a gamble and even a risk. Herb
specialists in Chicago say that’s where their advice can help.

Kirk Moulton, a licensed acupuncturist at the Healing Junction
Chicago, said that it's important that people just don't just grab some
herbs off of a shelf based on something they read on a blog.

"There truly needs to be somebody supervising it who has some
experience, to make sure you don't have allergies to something,"
Moulton said. "The appropriate herbal formula needs to be offered."

Moulton said it is important to know what you're taking, to
understand the full effect and what the possible downsides are. He
emphasized the importance of knowledge and forethought when making
decisions about herbal remedies.

People taking prescription medications should talk to their doctors
before taking herbs or even certain vitamins but even those who rarely
take a pill should seek advice before turning to herbs.

Karen Shaw, a Chicago herb specialist who started her own business
called All Your Herbs, agreed that it is best to get a consultation
before consuming any herbal remedies.

"One product is not going to help you, you need a program to work on," Shaw said. "You want to make sure it's safe."

Shaw also added that a lot of times people will go to a store and buy an herb without much information about it.

The University of Chicago Tang Center (UCTC) for Herbal Medicine
Research lists  popular herbs on its Web site. Except, instead of only
advocating the positive health effects of the herbs, the potential
negative complications are also clearly noted.

Source: http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=85335