Herbals and Traditional Medicine

Therapeutic Considerations for Herbs

Dietary supplements are among the most commonly used com-plementary and alternative medical therapies. A large number of herbs (e.g. garlic, mistletoe, Essiac, Lingzhi, and astragalus) are used by cancer patients for treating the cancer and/or reducing the toxicities of chemotherapeutic drugs. Some herbal medicines have shown potentially beneficial effects on cancer progression and may ameliorate chemotherapy-induced toxicities.