Commonly Used Herbal Supplements Among Women Shannon Felmey Kaplan University HW 499 Bachelor’s Capstone in Health and Wellness March 2, 2015

What are Herbal Supplements?  May also be referred to as botanicals  Dietary supplements  Usually plant-derived  Regulated by FDA, but not as drugs or foods (Mayo Clinic Staff 2014)  Intended to be taken by mouth (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health 2009 )

How Many People Use Herbal Supplements?  50%-75% of American adults  Use tends to be more prevalent among women than among men  Usually used to enhance health and wellness (Dickinson & MacKay 2014)

What are Some Commonly Used Herbal Supplements Among Women?  Ginger  St John’s Wort  Green Tea  Fenugreek  Common Dietary Supplements among women include Calcium and Vitamin D (Dickinson & MacKay 2014)

Ginger  Commonly used to treat nausea of various causes, including pregnancy-induced morning-sickness  May be used to help relieve joint and muscle pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis, although studies have not proven effective. (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health 2006) Photo courtesy of National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

St. John’s Wort  Used for treating mild to moderate depression  Must be used with caution, especially when taken with other medications or herbal remedies (Straub n.d.) Photo courtesy of nativeamericanherbalism.com

Green Tea  Contains high levels of antioxidants to prevent cancer onset  No major drug interactions with green tea polyphenols  Caffeine content of green tea may interact with some medications (Straub n.d.) Photo courtesy of

Fenugreek  Common among nursing mothers to increase milk supply (Galactogogue)  Related to peanut family; may trigger asthma in some allergic individuals  May produce hypoglycemia with other anti-diabetic meds (Marasco 2007) Photo courtesy of living-organic.org

Want More Information on Herbal Supplements?  Natural Medicine Journal  National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health  Nutrition.gov supplements/herbal-supplementshttp:// supplements/herbal-supplements  National Geographic Special Edition (Available Now) Photo courtesy of shop.nationalgeographic.com

Available Educational Resources  Using Dietary Supplements Wisely  Mayo Clinic living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/herbal- supplements/art ?pg=1http:// living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/herbal- supplements/art ?pg=1  Dietary Supplement Label Database

Recommendations  BE INFORMED!!  Always make sure HCP know about any and all supplements  More is not always better  Do the research (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health 2009)

Precautions  “Natural” does not always mean “safe”  Pregnancy and breastfeeding  Taking any medications, including OTC  Have any medical conditions  Expect to have surgery  Children (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health 2009)

References Dickinson, A., & MacKay, D. (2014). Health habits and other characteristics of dietary supplement users: A review. Nutrition Journal, 13(14). Retrieved March 3, 2015, from Marasco, L. (2007). Increasing your milk supply with galactogogues. Journal of Human Lactation (24)2008: Mayo Clinic Staff. (2014 November 14). Herbal supplements: What to know before you buy. Retrieved March 3, 2015 from eating/in-depth/herbal-supplements/art ?pg=1 eating/in-depth/herbal-supplements/art ?pg=1

References National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (2006 May). Ginger. Retrieved March 3, 2015 from National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (2009 February). Using dietary supplements wisely. Retrieved March 3, 2015 from Straub, J. (n.d.). Herbal alternative medicine: The benefits of being informed. Retrieved February 28, 2015 from %20Alternative%20Medicine.html %20Alternative%20Medicine.html