Interested in buying a new car or a washer/dryer set? Consumer Reports can tell you what's best. In the market for a digital camera or surround sound home theater? Check the Report. And if, by chance, you're planning to take a vitamin supplement or herbal medicine, Consumer Reports can tell you what's what.

As of last week, consumers can refer to the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database for information on the safety, effectiveness, and possible harmful reactions of about 14,000 natural medicines. A $19 annual fee buys users access to the database as well as to existing guides to prescription drugs and medical treatments.

The Natural Medicines Database was developed in response to the $20 billion that Americans spend on herbal remedies each year and so far it has received both positive and negative. reviews. "CU does a good job," said Candy Tsourounis, an associate professor of pharmacy at the University of California, San Francisco and an expert in the use of herbs and natural medicines. She found the guide informative and "very user-friendly."

For Adriane Fugh-Berman, an associate professor of complementary medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine, the database is more comprehensive than other guides, but still neglects to distinguish the theoretical risks of supplements from genuine harm proven in scientific studies.

"Extreme caution can work against public health outcomes," said Fugh-Berman. When consumers believe that "everything interacts with everything, people will just stop listening."

[via Washington Post]

Image: booksamillion.com