How to buy herbs that work: get your money's worth with our goof-proof guide to shopping for and using herbs. Plus, learn which herbs work best for 20 common ailments

I LIKE TO MAKE MY SHOPPING TRIPS AS efficient as possible. Unfortunately, on a recent trip to the supermarket to pick up some kava-kava to ease my travel anxiety, I found my troubles compounded. My stress levels rose as I stood in the aisle, staring at all the brands and not knowing which to pick. The overwhelming display tempted me to give up and calm my pre-vacation jitters with ice cream instead.

Apparently this confusion is becoming more common. In 1990, you could only buy about six products made from herbs, like laxatives and witch hazel, in grocery stores, pharmacies, and other mainstream outlets, says Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association, a trade group in Silver Spring, Md. Ten years later, he estimates that some of these mass-marketers offer upward of 80 herbal choices. Rather than being welcoming, the glut is confusing and sometimes even dismaying to newcomers, according to Laurie Demeritt, president of the Hartman Group, a Bellevue, Wash.-based market research firm.

As a result, shoppers often walk away empty-handed. Last year herb sales dropped 15 percent in mainstream stores, according to the March 2001 issue of Nutrition Business Journal (NBJ). Why are herbs losing their appeal? In addition to too many choices, experts such as Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council in Austin, Texas, point to negative press reports. "The single most damaging myth is that the herb industry is unregulated," he says. "It's like a media mantra." The government has the ability to regulate the industry, he adds, just with different rules than with drugs. Other experts place the blame on herbal products that perform poorly.

But today's cooling herb market may have a silver lining for true believers. Many of the get-rich-quick manufacturers have jumped out of the market, leaving better-quality choices on the shelves, says Sharol Tilgner, N.D., a naturopath, herbalist, and president of Wise Woman Herbals in Creswell, Ore. And while mass-market stores saw less interest in herbs, herb sales in natural food stores actually grew by about 2 percent in 2000, estimates the NBJ.

Let's not forget why people have used herbs for thousands of years--they help keep you strong and healthy with few side effects. To help you get the most out of herbs, we've put together a two-part guide full of advice from well-respected herbalists. Here's all you need to know about shopping for herbs and getting them to work for you.

THE RIGHT WAY TO SHOP FOR HERBS

Pick the best herbs for your money by following these six tips.

Look for key words.

Legally, all herbal supplements must give the herb's common name and list all the ingredients. Companies have the option to provide the following information, and the more you see, the better: the herb's Latin name; an expiration date, especially on capsules and tablets (they have a shorter shelf life than tinctures); and which part of the plant the product contains. If you want to avoid animal byproducts, look for "gelatin-free" on capsule labels.

If you're buying a tincture, there are several additional markers of quality. The maker should indicate whether the product came from fresh or dried herbs and state the proportion of herb to solvent (usually either alcohol or glycerine). This ratio indicates strength. The percentage of alcohol to water should also be given. The numbers themselves are not as important as the fact that the company is disclosing them. "If you have a weak product, you wouldn't want to tell people," explains Tilgner.

Finally, the label should give a lot number, which shows you that the company tracks its products, and a phone number or address, so you can ask questions (see "Get on the phone," next page).

Consider the additives.

Most tablets and some capsules contain fillers, binders, or excipients (substances that help keep the herb dry during manufacturing). Law requires that the label disclose these ingredients, such as acacia gum, calcium phosphate, cellulose, magnesium stearate, maltodextrin, and silica. Although most experts consider them inert (harmless), you could have allergies to those extra ingredients. Furthermore some additives, such as maltodextrin, may be derived from genetically modified crops like corn. So look for capsules or tablets with the fewest number of fillers.

Tinctures should contain only the herb, alcohol or glycerine, and possibly vitamin C or citric acid. Walk away from any product that has artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.

Divine the source.

You have three choices of growing conditions: organic, conventional, and wildcrafted. Both organic and conventional techniques involve herbs grown on farms expressly for consumers, but organic farming doesn't use pesticides. Wildcrafted herbs grow in the wild. Choose organic over wildcrafted for herbs that verge on extinction, like black cohosh (Cimicifuga race-mosa) and American ginseng (Panax quinquefolus). But for weedy herb species like burdock (Arctium lappa) and dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), wildcrafting is acceptable because these herbs grow well in a variety of habitats and situations, according to Rosemary Gladstar, an herbalist, the founder of the nonprofit United Plant Savers in East Barre, Vt., and author of Rosemary Gladstar's Family Herbal (Storey Books, 2001). To find out which plants are considered endangered, visit the website hosted by United Plant Savers at www.plantsavers.org.