Herbaceuticals: An Overview for Counselors

While more information on psychotropic medications is becoming available to counselors (Ingersoll, 2000; Ingersoll, Bauer, & Bums, in press), there is little published information on herbaceuticals. In this article, I use the word" herbaceuticals" because it is more accurate than "herbal medicines" or "herbal drugs?' The compounds discussed in this article, under U.S. federal law, cannot be advertised as medicines or drugs, so it would be confusing to refer to them as such. It must be noted, however, that many herbaceutical compounds contain pharmacologically active elements as powerful as those found in compounds designated "medicines" or "drugs." Worldwide, it is estimated that up to 80% of people are using complementary and alternative medicine including herbaceuticals (Boniel & Dannon, 2001; Eisenberg et al., 1998; LaFrance et al., 2000). In the United States, an estimated 40% of Americans have tried "alternative therapies" with herbal therapies being the most common alternative therapy used (Gray, 1999). The most rapidly growing herbal market in the United States is for products with supposed efficacy in treating the symptoms of mental and emotional disorders (Beaubrun & Gray, 2000). Given these findings, it is likely that counselors will encounter clients who are either taking herbaceuticals for mental/emotional symptoms or are considering taking them. An ongoing problem with herbaceutical use is that an estimated 40% to 60% of those using herbal remedies do so without telling their physician (Gutherie, 1999). This is problematic because all herbaceuticals have adverse effects as well as potential for interactions with other drugs. For these reasons, counselors should be aware of issues related to herbaceutical use and know where to get accurate information about herbaceuticals. This article is designed to give counselors an overview of the psychological, cultural, and legal issues related to herbaceuticals and basic physiological information on the effects of herbaceuticals commonly promoted for mental or emotional wellness. * Psychological Issues: Why Do People Take Herbaceuticals? There are many reasons people report for turning to herbaceuticals, including a mistrust of allopathic medicine, the belief that herbaceuticals are more congruent with one's worldview, and the belief that herbaceuticals are somehow safer then psychotropic medications. Mistrust of Allopathic Medicine Mistrust of allopathic medicine was noted by Gutherie (1999) as one reason patients seek complementary therapies. Allopathic medicine (as compared to homeopathic or osteopathic medicine) is the practice of identifying symptoms and introducing agents (e.g., drugs) that act in a manner different from or opposed to the processes thought to underlie the symptoms. Allopathic medicine is marked by its reliance on pharmaceuticals to accomplish symptom relief and cure. Many clients and members of the general public are becoming more aware of the adverse effects of medications as well as questionable practices engaged in by pharmaceutical companies. This mistrust may be more pronounced regarding psychiatry and its reliance on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, text revision (DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000). Critics like Colbert (2002), Breggin (1997), and Healy (2002) have raised substantial questions regarding the accuracy of DSM diagnoses, the degree to which the disorders have biological etiologies, and the extent to which the disorders should be treated with allopathic medicine. Often, informed clients raise the same questions and may express interest in herbaceuticals as alternative treatments. Astin (1998) also explored people's motivation for using herbaceuticals, but he concluded that for his sample, the primary motivation was a belief that these therapies were more congruent with their own values and philosophical orientations toward health and life. …