Herbal medicine

Herbal medicines will have an effect on the body, so it's best to treat them with the same care and respect as conventional treatments. 

Herbal medicine and MS

Lots of conventional treatments come from herbal ingredients. For example, St John’s Wort which is used for mild depression, valerian for insomnia, and psyllium for constipation. 

And some studies report beneficial effects with some other forms of herbal medicine. But these studies are often difficult to interpret and their quality varies. 

Some herbs, as with St John’s Wort, may also provoke MS symptoms or interact with medications commonly used in MS. 

Before using herbal medicines it's good to talk to your GP or MS team. 

The NHS has more about what to consider with herbal medicines 

Herbal medicine in the UK

Lots of herbal medicine is not regulated by law in the UK. 

Herbal treatments intended for things like coughs and colds (which don't need medical supervision) should have a traditional herbal registration (THR) mark on the packaging. 

This shows it meets certain standards for safety and manufacturing. It also provides information about how and when to take it. It doesn't mean it is effective or completely safe for everyone to take.

It's important to check the safety of herbal treatments. For more advice on this, read our two-part explainer with Dr Agne Straukiene.

Practitioners of herbal medicine aren’t required to have any specific training or belong to any professional organisation. There are a number of different professional organisations for practitioners from various herbal disciplines including:

• Ayurveda 
• Chinese 
• Tibetan 
• Western herbal medicine

The European Herbal and Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association works with most of them and can provide information about different disciplines.