A pharmacist explaining something to an older man with a plain supplement bottle on the counter

Maria Lentz

St. John's Wort Drug Interactions: Why One Herb Changes So Many Medicines

Taken daily, this herb cut total exposure to a transplant drug by 52% and to an HIV drug by 57%. Those are measurements from trials, not a precautionary label. PubMed...

A woman in a summer meadow studying a flowering stem of St. John's Wort

Gene C Lentz

What Is St. John's Wort? Benefits, Evidence, and the Interaction Problem

This yellow-flowered herb has 102 depression trials behind it and 862 PubMed records on drug interactions. Both numbers matter, and they share a cause. The cause is 1 constituent, hyperforin,...

A woman looking along a row of plain jars of dried herbs on her kitchen counter

Gene C Lentz

What Is the Best Herb for Lungs? Mullein Compared

Google puts this question on its own results page, which means a great many people are asking it. Across 5 common candidates the accurate answer is 1 and the same....

A man sitting on a park bench on a bright morning, breathing easily

Brian Steinblock

Mullein for Smokers and Ex-Smokers: An Honest Answer

Mullein is marketed to smokers harder than it is marketed to almost anyone else in this category. The honest answer is not the label one: 0 trials in smokers, and...

A woman at her kitchen counter with a supplement bottle and a jar of dried mullein leaf

Maria Lentz

Mullein Dosage: Capsules, Tea, and Tincture Compared

No clinical trial has ever established a mullein dose taken by mouth, which makes every number a convention. Of the 3 trials that exist, 0 used an oral preparation. What...

A pharmacist talking with a customer across the counter beside a plain supplement bottle

Gene C Lentz

Mullein Side Effects, Interactions, and Who Should Avoid It

Mullein has a quiet safety record across centuries of use, and that is genuinely reassuring. It also reflects how little it has been studied: 148 papers, 3 trials. There is...

A woman talking with a clinician across a plain desk in a consulting room

Brian Steinblock

Does Mullein Actually Help Your Lungs?

Mullein is sold almost entirely on 1 promise, that it does something for your lungs. That promise rests on 16 papers and it is worth seeing exactly what they are....

A woman pouring hot water onto dried mullein leaf in a glass teapot

Maria Lentz

Mullein Tea: Benefits, How to Make It, and Why You Must Strain It

Mullein tea is searched 74000 times a month, roughly 30 times more than the supplement. Almost everyone meets this plant as a drink. There are 0 clinical trials of mullein...

A woman at her kitchen table examining a dish of dried mullein leaf beside a cup of tea

Gene C Lentz

What Is Mullein Leaf? Benefits, Evidence, and Honest Limits

Every source you will read on mullein says the same thing, that the human evidence is limited. None says how limited, so here it is: 148 papers and 3 trials....

A man reading a book on the sofa with a mug of tea in a bright living room

Gene C Lentz

Does Damiana Make You High?

Is damiana psychedelic is a live search question, and the primary literature answers it in 2 ways across 2 measures. Neither involves a high. In the rat study its effects...

A woman at her kitchen counter with a supplement bottle and a jar of dried damiana leaf

Maria Lentz

Damiana Dosage and How to Take It

There is no established dose of damiana, because there is no human trial of damiana on its own. That is 1 uncomfortable fact, and it explains the other 2 below....

Gene C Lentz

Damiana Side Effects and Who Should Avoid It

Damiana has no large human safety trial, and its cautions come from 2 other places instead. Tradition and chemistry, and 7 cyanogenic glycosides sit in the second. The genus is...

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