Assessment of the credibility of public websites about medicinal herbs

Kováts, N. and Hubai, K. and Horváth, E. and Paulovits, G. (2018) Assessment of the credibility of public websites about medicinal herbs. Acta Botanica Hungarica, 60 (3-4). pp. 387-399. ISSN 0236-6495

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Abstract

In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in the use of herbs and herbal medicinal products, both in developing and developed countries. While electronic medium has become a more and more important tool for presenting information about health-related issues, several studies demonstrated that the internet often contains inaccurate and/or misleading information. In our study we assessed 30 Hungarian websites and 2 cellphone applications intended for public use and evaluated the quality and credibility of the information presented about medicinal plants recommended. It was found that websites showed very diverse safety: most websites gave mixed information, that is, some medicinal herbs and their potential hazard were properly described, while others were not. There were, however, websites, which completely missed to give information about any potential hazard. As credibility of public websites can be in most cases questioned, it is strongly recommended for potential users to consult more than one source of information.

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