Herbs & Formulations
Arjuna and the heart claims
Terminalia arjuna is used classically for cardiac conditions and has a small research literature. Cardiology is the field where substituting an unproven treatment is least advisable.
Herbs & Formulations
Individual botanicals, the evidence, and the safety data.
Herbs & Formulations
Diuretic herbs and the kidney
Punarnava and several other traditional preparations are used for fluid retention and urinary conditions. The kidney is an organ where herbal preparations have caused substantial documented harm.
Herbs & Formulations
Shilajit: what it is, and the contamination question
A mineral-rich substance collected from rock faces, with a small research literature and a quality control problem that follows directly from what it is.
Herbs & Formulations
Amla: vitamin C, and what that does and does not mean
Indian gooseberry is genuinely one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C, which has produced a set of claims that go well beyond what vitamin C actually does.
Herbs & Formulations
Licorice: effective for some things, and genuinely risky
Yashtimadhu is used widely in Ayurvedic formulations and it has a well-documented mechanism for causing high blood pressure and low potassium. This one warrants real caution.
Herbs & Formulations
Guggul: the resin that reached a pharmaceutical trial and did not survive it
Guggul is a useful case study: promising early results, widespread adoption, and then a properly conducted trial that produced an unexpected answer.
Herbs & Formulations
Shatavari and the claims made about women’s health
A widely used classical preparation marketed for a broad range of women’s health indications, with a research base that does not support most of them.
Herbs & Formulations
Neem: a genuinely useful plant with a genuinely serious caution
Neem has reasonable evidence for some topical and dental applications, and neem oil taken internally has caused deaths in children. Both facts belong in the same article.
Herbs & Formulations
Ginger: the traditional remedy with the best nausea evidence
Among all the botanicals used across traditional medicine systems, ginger has some of the most consistent clinical trial support — for one particular indication.
Herbs & Formulations
Tulsi: the household plant with a modest research file
Holy basil is grown in courtyards across India and used domestically for coughs and colds. The clinical evidence is thinner than its cultural presence suggests.
Herbs & Formulations
Brahmi and bacopa: the memory claim, examined
A classical nervine with a reasonable set of cognitive trials behind it, a naming confusion that causes real problems, and an effect that takes months to appear if it appears at all.
Herbs & Formulations
Triphala: three fruits, and a reasonable amount of research
One of the most widely used classical formulations, taken principally for digestion and elimination, with a body of evidence that is better than most and thinner than the marketing.
Herbs & Formulations
Ashwagandha: the evidence, and the reasons for care
One of the better-studied Ayurvedic botanicals, with a reasonable body of trial evidence for stress and sleep, and a specific set of safety issues worth knowing before starting.