Herbs

"What is the cause of XXX ?" asked in the grand round. The XXX could stand for kidney problem, liver problem, confusion, or any nondescript symptom.

"It is herb-induced."

Alas, the crowd march to next bed. What a convenient answer ! Herb has become a rubbish bin: any problem that we cannot explain - or do not have time to explain - we take it as herbs. How often is it proved ?

We know very well that there is not much firm scientific evidence - randomized control trial - on the efficacy of herbs on any medical condition. (This simple fact seems not being recognized by our government and local granting agencies - another excellent example that planned economy always fails.) Nonetheless, there is equally limited amount of evidence on clinical problems caused by herbs - except a few highly characteristic ones.

You may not like herbalists, but it is exactly for that reason you should not attack them by their (lack of) logic and argument.