Editorial Policy

Who Team IOH is

Team IOH is the small, independent team that researches and writes Index of Herbs. Every page is researched against published evidence, written to a shared house style, and reviewed by our editor, Michael Cozart, who has the final say on what is published.

We are not doctors, pharmacists, or licensed herbalists, and we do not pretend to be. That is exactly why our process leans so heavily on primary sources, regulators, and systematic reviews, and why every claim on a page can be traced to a citation you can check yourself.

What we publish

Every page type follows the same research process described below.

• Herb monographs. A full profile of one plant: botany, history, chemistry, uses, preparations, safety, frequently asked questions, and sources.
• Evidence reviews. A deep look at one herb for one condition, such as feverfew for migraine, built around the key trials, the products and doses they tested, and a rating for that use only.
• Concern guides. Shortlists of the herbs people reach for with a common concern, such as sleep or digestion, each with its own evidence rating.
• Herbal formulas. Multi-herb products and traditional blends, rated on trials of the combination itself rather than its individual ingredients.

How we choose topics

We start from the questions people actually ask, such as “does peppermint oil help IBS?” or “is ashwagandha safe with thyroid medicine?”, and from gaps in our own library. Reader suggestions sent through our contact form go on the same list.

A topic only becomes a page when there is enough published research or documented traditional use to say something genuinely useful. We would rather leave a gap in the index than publish a thin page that repeats what another one already says.

Our research process

Every page moves through the same steps, whether it is a new monograph or a single-condition review.

1. Start from what we have already published

Before researching anything new, we read the herb’s existing monograph and any concern guide that covers it. A new page must not contradict an older one without evidence. When new research shows an older page was wrong, we correct the older page too, rather than letting the two disagree.

2. Find the strongest evidence first

We look for sources in a fixed order of weight:

1. Cochrane reviews and other systematic reviews and meta-analyses, which pool the results of many trials;
2. large randomized controlled trials, where people are assigned by chance to the herb or a comparison;
3. regulator documents, such as the European Medicines Agency’s herbal monographs and assessment reports;
4. fact sheets from national bodies such as the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH);
5. clinical guidelines from professional and public health organizations;
6. smaller trials, pilot studies, and laboratory or animal research, which we label as such.

We go looking for the strongest negative and null results as deliberately as the positive ones. A page that only reports the trials that worked is not an honest page.

3. Verify every source against the original

We never cite a study from a secondary summary, a news story, or a supplement label. Each study is checked against its original record: its PubMed entry, the full text where it is openly available, or the official document from the regulator, guideline body, or research group that published it. Authors, journal, year, and identifiers such as PubMed numbers are confirmed against that record.

If we cannot find and read the original, the source does not go on the page.

4. Trace every number

Participant counts, doses, durations, effect sizes, p-values, and percentages must each come from a source we actually read. If a figure cannot be verified, we leave it out rather than estimate it. We never invent or approximate a study detail to make a sentence read better.

5. Follow the money

When a trial was funded by the company that makes the product, or the authors report ties to it, we say so on the page whenever the paper discloses it. Industry funding does not make a study wrong, but readers deserve to know about it when weighing the result.

6. Name the exact product

Plant species, plant part, extract, dose, and standardization all change what a study means. A trial of a concentrated root extract tells you little about a cup of tea made from the leaves. We record exactly what each trial tested, and we say plainly when everyday kitchen or tea use is not what the research looked at.

7. Write the safety section with the same care

Safety is researched to the same standard as benefits. Every page covers who should avoid the herb, use in pregnancy and breastfeeding, known and likely drug interactions, and the warning signs that call for a doctor rather than a herb.

8. Check the structure

Automated checks confirm that each page has every required part: a direct answer to the question it asks, the key points, summarized studies, a complete safety section, frequently asked questions, and a full list of linked sources. Anything missing is flagged to the editor so it can be fixed before the page goes live.

How we rate evidence

Evidence reviews, concern guides, and formulas carry one of four ratings. A rating describes the evidence for one specific use, never the herb as a whole. Ginger can have good evidence for one purpose and almost none for another.

The same herb and use must carry the same rating everywhere on the site. If a deeper review justifies a different rating from the one in a concern guide, the editor reviews both and updates them together.

How we write

• Answer first. Each page opens by answering the question in its title, including how strong the evidence is and the main caveat.
• Plain English. We write for a general reader and define technical terms in parentheses the first time they appear.
• Citations in the text. Findings are credited where they appear, by author, journal, and year, with the key numbers, and listed in full in the sources section.
• No hype. We avoid sales language, miracle claims, and words like “cure.” When the evidence is uncertain, we say so plainly.
• Tradition with respect. Traditional use is recorded as knowledge worth having, and kept clearly separate from what clinical trials have shown.

The editor’s role

Our editor is responsible for every page on Index of Herbs. Nothing is published without the editor’s approval, and the editor is the person accountable for what we get right and wrong. In practice, that means:

• Setting the scope. Deciding which topics are worth a page, and which question each page must answer.
• Checking the sources. Confirming that citations lead to the records they claim, that key figures match the source, and that the strongest evidence, including negative results, is represented.
• Signing off the rating. Approving every evidence rating, and resolving any disagreement with what is already published elsewhere on the site.
• Reviewing safety. Making sure the safety section is complete and prominent, and that no page encourages anyone to delay or replace medical care.
• Holding the line on tone. Cutting anything that oversells a herb or reads like marketing.
• Owning corrections. Reviewing every reported error, deciding on the fix, and updating related pages so the site stays consistent.

Independence and funding

Index of Herbs is operated by Stackifide in Florida. We do not sell herbs, supplements, or any other products. We do not run advertising, accept sponsored or paid content, use affiliate links, or let any company review a page before it is published. No manufacturer has any say in which herbs we cover or how we rate them.

Mentioning a brand-name product is never an endorsement. We name products only when a study tested that specific product, because the exact preparation matters.

Updates and dates

The “Updated” date on a page changes only when its content changes, not when the site is redeployed or redesigned. We revisit pages when significant new research appears, such as a major trial or a new systematic review, when a regulator changes its guidance, or when a reader reports a problem.

Corrections

If you find an error, a broken citation, or a study we missed, please tell us through our contact form. Include the page and, if you can, a link to the source. The editor reviews every correction request. When a fix changes the substance of a page, such as a figure, a rating, or a safety warning, we correct it promptly and update the page’s date.

Not medical advice

Careful research does not make a web page a substitute for a clinician. Everything on Index of Herbs is general educational information, not a diagnosis, a dose, or a treatment plan. Herbs can cause side effects and interact with medicines. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist before using any herb, especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, giving it to a child, taking prescription medicines, or managing a health condition.

Related: About Index of Herbs, Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy