BMJ 1994;308:1043 (16 April)

Letters

Safer use of traditional remedies Clinical trials may fail to get ethical approval

EDITOR, - In his editorial on the safer use of traditional remedies David J Atherton called for "opening of channels of communication in an atmosphere less pervaded by suspicion and hostility."1 One of the most effective approaches to reducing any existing hostility to traditional remedies would be to determine their efficacy and safety by subjecting them to scientific scrutiny in well designed clinical trials. Orthodox Western medicine may have much to gain from traditional remedies. Many modern (synthetic) pharmaceutical products have been developed from natural sources, and it should not be surprising, therefore, that traditional remedies may have beneficial therapeutic effects. Conversely, there is no reason to assume that such remedies will be intrinsically safer than synthetic pharmaceuticals, although all too often the general public tends to equate natural products with low toxicity despite considerable evidence to the contrary. It is clearly not sufficient to rely on a long history . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Towards the safer use of traditional remedies
D J Atherton
BMJ 1994 308: 673-674. [Extract] [Full Text]

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