Plants have been used medicinally in all cultures, for millennia in some cases, but an evidence base of well-conducted research studies lag far behind traditional wisdom for most of them. The studies that do exist can be hard to find, for various reasons, but here are some tips and techniques that will greatly improve your botanical search results!
Preliminary fact-finding before you begin a search for information on herbs and other botanicals can save time and trouble. In most databases, the best searches often include the plant's common name, scientific name (genus and/or species), and unique chemical constituents (if any have been identified):
Individual plant names: Consider using the species or genus in addition to the common name(s), which can vary according to geographical location.
Plant constituents (chemical components): Consider including specific plant constituents in your search, especially for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic aspects. NOTE: Constituents specific to a species or its genus that have been identified as producing a bioactive or therapeutic effect make the best search terms.
For example:
health condition, common name & bioactive constituent
health condition, common name, genus & bioactive constituent
Watch the video and/or read the captions to find out best uses for these top botanical searching picks! NOTE: the volume is quite low, so it is recommended to turn on closed captioning.
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