Herbal medicine is gaining more and more importance. Studies in the USA show that approximately 50-80% of middle-aged women, that is, the majority of them, use herbal products.

These products, which are given names such as herbal medicine, botanical medicine, phytotherapy, alternative medicine, are actually a kind of food supplement. Herbal products are NOT DRUGS, these herbal products are sold in the form of tablets, capsules, powders, teas, extracts, fresh or dried herbs. These herbal products, which are considered as a kind of food supplement, actually provide to be healthy rather than treatment.

Modern and medical treatment applied by experts in medicine is essential.

The fact that we medical doctors do not pay enough attention to this issue creates a gap. This gap is filled by opportunistic people who do not have sufficient knowledge and are not even physicians, and people are misled and exploited.

First of all, it should be emphasized that the first important fact is medical treatment. This is an indispensable fact in modern medicine and positive science. However, on the other hand, there is a group of patients who do not want to use drugs or who are inconvenient to use them. For this reason, the events we encounter in practice reveal the fact that we as physicians should also focus on this issue. Otherwise, patients suffer in the hands of ignorant charlatans. Because it is disturbing that these charlatans, most of whom have not even had a medical education, put forward ideas in every branch of medicine. After 6 years of medical education, a medical doctor can only become a specialist in a branch by studying for at least 4 more years. These charlatans offer advice to patients on every subject.

To whom can herbal products be recommended?

There are certain gaps in the treatment of medicine . In other words, there is no definitive and unique treatment for every disease. Cancer and infertility are among the most exploited diseases. We can list these blank fields in gynecology as follows;

1. The patient's refusal to take medication: For example, a patient with menopausal complaints may strongly dislike modern treatment.
2. Medication to be given to the patient is inconvenient for the patient: For example, the patient has severe menopausal complaints and the patient wants to use medication, but unfortunately this patient had breast cancer. In other words, the patient wants to use medicine, but the doctor cannot give it.
3. There is no definite and effective treatment method for some diseases. For example, successful results may not always be obtained with the treatments we recommend for premenstrual tensions and breast fullness. These conditions, which recur every month, disturb the patient.
4. The number of patients complaining of sexual reluctance is much higher than the estimates. Sexual problems are under the influence of many factors such as physical, psychological and hormonal. This is another gray area for us.

As can be seen above, it is possible to multiply these examples. If we do not make a recommendation to such patients, the patient searches for solutions in environments such as friends, neighbors or the media.

However, we as physicians should show these patients an appropriate and safe solution. Otherwise, the patient may be harmed.

Pharmaceuticals and Herbal Products

From the above explanations, it should never be taken to mean that drugs are harmful and herbal products are harmless. In fact , herbal products can show more side effects than drugs from time to time.

It is necessary to determine the location of herbal products well. These products cannot be used as a substitute for medical treatment. However, it should be considered in support of medical treatment or in cases where the patient does not accept the use of medication. Because herbal products are not put on the market after processes such as drug development. In other words, its side effects and harms are not fully known. It must be used under the supervision of a physician.

It should be noted that all drugs have an average of 1/3 placebo effect . In other words, even drug-like substances that do not contain any active ingredient can have an effect. For example, if you give the bread crumbs in the form of pills to 3 people who have insomnia, you can see that one of them is relieved of insomnia. Therefore, in drug development, the effectiveness of the new drug developed must be compared with a placebo or another drug with proven effectiveness.

The benefits of herbal products have not been fully demonstrated. Similar issues are being exploited by charlatans who lack knowledge. As an example, we can give the issue of onion juice in ovarian cysts. Some of those who read this will say that I also used this and my cyst disappeared. However, the truth is this: Almost all of the benign ovarian cysts disappear on their own within 1-2 months, so the miracle is not in onion juice. Even if the patient does nothing, the cyst will disappear.

prof. Dr. Sezai Şahmay
Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Department ofReproductive Endocrinology and IVF