Herbs are useless and don't work!

Herbs are worthless and don't work if you take the perspective that it's reasonable to compare a fish's ability to climb a tree with that of a monkey. Many quickly realize that the comparison method in this case isn't fair, don't they?

The gold standard of science, RCT (Randomized Controlled Trials), is precisely such a comparison method that is not well suited for studying the effect of herbs.

Below we list why it is difficult – and sometimes impossible – to conduct RCT studies on herbs.

Modern medicine often bases its conclusions on Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs). But plant-based products don't always follow the same rules as synthetic pharmaceuticals for good reasons. Herbs are living systems, complex in nature, and work in synergy with the entire body.

Forcing them into a strict laboratory model (the fish and monkey comparison) can therefore be misleading.

1. Nature cannot be standardized

An herb contains hundreds of bioactive substances that work in synergy.
Content and composition vary depending on soil, climate, harvest time, plant part, and extraction method. This makes it scientifically difficult to ensure that all participants in a study receive the exact same biochemical profile. The RCT model, which requires a single defined molecule, is therefore poorly suited for holistic plant-based medicines.

2. Placebo and blinding are almost impossible

Herbs have their own taste, color, aroma, and physiological sensation.
Participants can therefore often sense if they have received an active herb or a placebo, which breaks the blinding and increases bias. This is a practical obstacle that almost all plant studies encounter.

3. No commercial incentives

Large-scale RCT studies often cost between 50–200 million SEK.
Since natural substances cannot be patented, there are no economic reasons for the pharmaceutical industry to finance them. The result is that many herbs never receive the type of research they truly deserve despite centuries of clinical use.

4. Holistic effect not captured in linear models

An herb often works systemically, i.e., via lymph, liver, endocrine glands, microbiome, and nervous system, rather than via an isolated receptor. The RCT model, however, is designed to measure a linear cause-and-effect (A → B).
This means that many of the most powerful herbal effects, e.g., balance, detoxification, hormonal regulation, and cell protection, are not visible in this type of testing.

5. Short-term versus long-term

Many plant-based effects appear only over time, as the body's own balance is restored.
Most RCT studies only last a few weeks, sometimes only a few months.
This type of short-term measurement does not capture holistic effects such as improved digestion, mental clarity, or inner harmony.

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How to assess the effect of herbs instead.

One needs to consider the entirety of available evidence.
There are several strong, scientifically valid forms of support used internationally, including by WHO and EMA (European Medicines Agency):

1. Clinical experience and traditional use

If a plant has been used safely and effectively for hundreds or thousands of years across multiple cultures (Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, European Medicine, etc.), this in itself is a form of empirical evidence.
It is this principle that underlies the EU's Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive (THMP), where long-term use is considered to prove safety, credibility, and reasonableness.

2. Preclinical and pharmacological studies

Laboratory and animal studies show biological mechanisms: antioxidant effects, anti-inflammatory effects, impact on the immune system, cell protection, detox, and hormone regulation. These, even if not the strongest evidence from evidence-based methods, contribute to strengthening the credibility behind traditional use.

3. Small and medium-sized RCT studies

Although large RCTs are often lacking (due to the reasons mentioned earlier), there are many smaller studies on specific herbs. But they still compare a fish's ability to climb trees. RCTs on herbs only work when you remove what makes herbs complex or effective.

When researchers want to test an herb in the RCT model, they usually do the following:

- They standardize the extract to one or a few molecules (e.g., hypericin in St. John's Wort, silymarin in milk thistle).

- They remove the whole — i.e., the synergies between all substances in the entire plant.

- They make it possible to measure "a pure substance" in the same way as a pharmaceutical.

The logic of the research is:
They manage to create a "synthesized version" of the herb, not the herb as nature delivers it, but something that fits the RCT format.

Examples of a few herbs in the RCT model:

- St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) – documented effect in mild–moderate depression.

- Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) – improved heart function in mild heart failure.

- Turmeric (Curcuma longa) – strong support for osteoarthritis and inflammation.

- Ginseng, Milk Thistle, Valerian, Ginkgo biloba – studied with repeated positive results.

4. Cohort and observational studies

Long-term studies on large populations show a correlation between plant-based diets, herb intake, and improved heart, liver, and metabolic function.
These studies provide statistical strength even if they cannot prove the cause-and-effect perspective of the RCT model.

5. Integrative evidence holistic assessment

In modern herbal medicine, all these factors are weighed together:

- biological plausibility

- traditional use

- clinical experience

- published research

- safety data
This provides a more accurate picture of the true value of herbs.

This is what you can take away from this blog post

Science is powerful, but it has its flaws and is the only way to understand nature's intelligence. To demand that herbal medicine be proven in the same way as a synthetic drug is like comparing a fish's ability to climb trees with that of a monkey. The RCT model is excellent for isolated molecules but inadequate for living systems.

Therefore, at AEAA, we are open to combining modern science, empirical experience (traditional use for hundreds/thousands of years), and nature's own logic to create holistic and sustainable health.

Look around in the webshop and find the herbs that can support you in your new healthy everyday life.

Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @aeaa.sverige and find your strengthening, cleansing, and balancing herbs www.aeaa.se.

As always, Happy Healing =)

Sincerely // TEAM AEAA