Herbal Medicines for Thyroid Diseases

Abstract

Thyroid dysfunctions represent the most common endocrine disorders and a major healthcare issue throughout the globe. The drawbacks associated with the conventional treatment approaches calls upon for the need to explore alternative treatment strategies. Herbal medicinal approach has been used since ages; however, it is not acceptable by the clinicians. Currently, there is no scientific evidence for the efficacy of herbal medicines in patient management. The necessity to fight against adverse drug events, high treatment costs, and compliance issues is forcing the scientists to look upon for traditional herbal medicinal approaches. This chapter provides an overview of the efficacy of different herbal medicines and scientific evidence that necessitates their usage for improving thyroid functions. There remains a need for a careful and routine follow-up as a mandatory parameter before establishing herbal medicine as a global treatment approach.