A brief history of time: the power of botanical systematic reviews.

There are more than 20 completed Cochrane systematic reviews on botanical medicine presently published in the Cochrane Library. There are more than 40 that are planned or in progress. It is an opportune time to explore the information needs of readers of botanical systematic reviews and how those needs can be met better by Cochrane systematic reviews. It is proposed that Cochrane systematic reviews focus not only on efficacy but also on expanded safety and quality. Expanded safety refers not only to the occurrence of adverse events but also the contraindications for use such as drug-herb interactions or allergies to products. Quality pertains to whether or not there was a method of standardizing active ingredients in trials and methods for minimizing risks of contamination. Because there are no package inserts to accompany herbal products as there are for drugs, Cochrane systematic reviews offer the ideal forum to present this much-needed information on expanded safety and quality.