Internet Sites That Provide Herbal

¶ … Internet sites that provide herbal drub information (including advice and specifics on the use of herbal medicine). The two Internet sites chosen for this assignment are: a) the University of Chicago Medicine "Herbal Medicine" site; and b) Medline Plus, a service of the United States National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Purpose of University of Chicago Site (www.uchospitals.edu).

The University of Chicago Medicine site states that it is "…at the forefront of medicine" and the site is clearly intended to provide helpful information but not necessarily a long list of all available herbal remedies. The first impression a user to this website gets is that it is informative and actually provides warning and precautions; it offers specific advice before choosing herbal supplements.

For example, the site warns that the FDA does not scrutinize herbal supplements, and herbal supplements "are not for everyone"; moreover, the site recommends that when attending a doctor's appointment the user of herbal supplements should always let the doctor know what herbal medicines are being taken. Before the site presents some of the more common herbal drugs, it provides a bulleted list of "precautions."

Some of those bullet points include: a) be educated about any herbs before consuming them; b) never take more than the label recommends; c) "Watch for side effects…nausea, dizziness, headache, or upset stomach"; reduce the dosage if these occur; d) be alert for "allergic reactions" (if breathing is difficult call 911); e) do the homework on every company whose herbs you take (do they make outrageous claims? Are there thorough instructions and does the label have a toll-free number and web address?) (www.uchospitals.edu). The U. Of Chicago site also lists 12 herbal supplements, including Green Tea, Garlic, Ginseng, and "Black Cohosh," which is a "shrub-like plant…used for alleviating menopausal conditions…uterine spasms…"

Purpose of Medline Plus Site (www.nim.nih.gov).

The Medline Plus site is not as informative in terms of generalized precautions as the University of Chicago site, but it has an enormously impressive list of herbal supplements that are listed alphabetically. Actually the site is designed to do several things. It has links to "Health Topics," "Drugs & Supplements," and "Videos & Cool Tools"; so it is a one-stop site for a number of important aspects of health and medicine.

Under "Drugs & Supplements" there is a category "Herbs and Supplements" and there is an a-Z listing of perhaps 100 herbal supplements. Hit any of the supplements / herbal drugs and a page comes up with specific information about that drug (also, the source for the information is presented). For example, "Asian Ginseng" is native to China and Korea, and has been used for centuries. A long fact sheet explains the science of ginseng, and lists six bullet points regarding "Side Effects and Cautions" (it can cause allergic reactions; it can cause breast tenderness, menstrual irregularities, and high blood pressure).

Readability for intended audience

The University of Chicago website is very well organized and the sentences are well-spaced so it is very easy to navigate and read the pertinent information. The Medline Plus site is also attractively laid out for easy access and linkage.

Credentials of each source

The University of Chicago is a world-renowned health and medicine institution, so there is no question as to the authenticity and accuracy of its narratives and information. Medline Plus is part of the National Institutes of Health so it too has impeccable credentials.

Accuracy (is it fact or opinion?)

While there may be some opinion within the narrative provided by the University of Chicago, one can be reasonably assured that everything in the site is based on and backed by factual medical knowledge. The Medline Plus site has the backing of institutions that are highly respected in the field of medicine; hence, a reader can trust the accuracy of the materials.

Date of Issue or Revision'

The date presented on the University of Chicago site is 2013, and one can expect that the information is thoroughly contemporary. The date for the Medline Plus is posted at the end of the information section: "Page last updated on 27 February, 2013."