Product details
Find out the name of the complementary product, the formulation and strength, and all the ingredients. Products with the same name may differ in ingredients.
We may not be able to give safety advice if someone takes several complementary products or complementary ingredients with their usual medicine.
Most published evidence relates to interactions between one complementary product ingredient and one conventional medicine. Anything more than this is likely to require your clinical judgement.
UK banned or not NHS prescribable
Check if the product contains herbal ingredients that are banned or have restricted use in the UK by the MHRA due to concerns about safety.
Homeopathy and herbal ingredients should not be routinely prescribed by the NHS in primary care.
Amount of ingredient
Some complementary products may contain combinations of herbal ingredients, homeopathic dilutions and dietary supplements.
You should review the total daily dose for each ingredient. People taking more than one complementary product may expose themselves to higher than recommended daily doses (RDD).
Dietary supplements will have the RDD listed on the product label or package insert. See the SPS article Understanding food supplements (SPS page) for further information.
The RDD for herbal products can be found in the freely accessible monographs listed in the SPS article Complementary products: resources to support answering questions (SPS page).
Advise people not to take multiple complementary products to reduce the risk of dosing above the safe amount.
Homeopathic products
The NHS advises there is no good quality evidence to suggest homeopathy is effective as a treatment for any health condition.
There is no evidence of interactions between highly diluted homeopathic products and conventional medicines. The starting material is so diluted that little or no molecules are in the final product.
Manufacturing errors such as incorrect dilution or adding unwanted substances to the product can cause serious side effects. The MHRA advises healthcare professionals to report all suspected side effects involving homeopathic product use.
Homeopathic products are labelled with ‘homeopathic medicinal product’ to identify them from herbal products containing the same ingredient.
Product quality
Find out if the product is regulated. More information can be found on our article Explaining the licensed status of medicines (SPS page).
Traditional Herbal Register (THR)
Complementary products with a Traditional Herbal Registration (THR) are regulated by the MHRA and will comply with the manufacturing standards applied to conventional medicines.
Claims made by THR products are based on traditional use and not on evidence of clinical effectiveness.
Homeopathic regulatory scheme
Homeopathic products must be registered with one of the 2 UK regulatory schemes. Products with homeopathic registrations or authorisations granted by the MHRA are listed in the schemes.
Food supplements
Food supplements are not medicines. They are regulated as foods, not as medicines, but must still meet their description and be safe. See our article Understanding food supplements (SPS page) for further information.
Source of product
If the complementary product has been purchased, find out who the supplier is.
The MHRA highlights risks of buying a fake or adulterated complementary product is increased when bought from non-reputable sources.
Online sources should be registered pharmacies or reputable retailers.
Advise people to follow the Government’s Know what you’re buying tips.
Product cost
Some complementary products are expensive and are not backed up by evidence or require long term use to meet any therapeutic claims.
The NHS does not routinely fund complementary products due to the lack of proven effectiveness.