Lavender

Uses: Treatment of anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, and depression. Studies have shown mixed results. Most commonly used in aromatherapy.

Caution: Can cause drowsiness. Topical use of diluted lavender oil or use of lavender as aromatherapy is gen erally considered safe for most adults. However, lav ender oil can be poisonous if taken orally, and applying lavender oil to the skin can cause irritation. There have been reports that topical use can cause breast growth in young boys.

Saw Palmetto

Uses: Thought to improve symptoms with benign pros tatic hypertrophy; however, research concluded that it was not more effective than placebo.

Caution: Saw palmetto appears to be well tolerated by most users. It may cause mild side effects, including stomach discomfort.

Soy

Uses: May slightly lower levels of LDL ("bad") cho lesterol. Some studies suggest that soy isoflavone supplements may reduce hot flashes in women after menopause; however, the results have been inconsistent.

Caution: Minor stomach and bowel problems such as nau sea, bloating, and constipation are possible. The safety.


St. John's Wort

Uses: Short-term treatment of mild to moderate depres sion. Although some studies have reported benefits for more severe depression, others have not; for exam ple, a large study sponsored by the NCCAM found that the herb was no more effective than placebo in treat ing major depression of moderate severity.

Cautions: Can cause photosensitivity, particularly in fair skinned individuals; contraindicated when other anti depressants are used. Other side effects can include anxiety, dry mouth, dizziness, gastrointestinal symp toms, fatigue, headache, or sexual dysfunction. Can interact with antidepressants, birth control pills, cyclo sporine, digoxin, indinavir (and possibly other drugs used to control HIV infection), irinotecan (and possi bly other drugs used to treat cancer), seizure-control drugs (e.g., dilantin and phenobarbital), and warfarin and related anticoagulants.

Valerian

Use: Sedative, but there is not enough evidence from well-designed studies to confirm this. Safe to use for short periods of time (4 to 6 weeks). Caution: Can cause mild side effects, such as headaches,

dizziness, upset stomach, and tiredness the morning

after its use. Do not use with barbiturates.