How We Review
Every product review on HerbsMedicine.net goes through the same 7 checks, in the same order, whether or not we earn money from the product.
This page explains each check, how the results become a verdict, and what we do not do. Our Editorial Policy explains who we are, how we earn money and how we keep our reviews independent.
Our 7 Checks
Checks 1 to 4 are quality gates. Checks 5 to 7 are safety and background checks.
| Check | Type | What we ask | Where we look |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Clear label | Quality gate | Is the extract named? Are all amounts shown? Is any dose hidden in a proprietary blend? | The Supplement Facts label and the brand’s product page |
| 2. Matches the science | Quality gate | Is it the same herb, plant part, extract and daily amount that human studies tested? | Human trials and reviews on PubMed; government sources such as the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements and NCCIH |
| 3. Independently tested | Quality gate | Is this exact product listed by an independent certifier? | The official directories of USP Verified, NSF Certified and Certified for Sport, and Informed Choice and Informed Sport; a lab certificate (COA) if the brand shares one |
| 4. No red flags | Quality gate | Has any regulator warned about this product or brand? Does the brand make cure claims? | FDA recalls, warning letters and tainted supplements list; Health Canada, UK MHRA and Australia TGA; the brand’s marketing |
| 5. Safety and interactions | Safety | Who should avoid it? What side effects are reported? Does it interact with medicines? | Government fact sheets, interaction references, human studies and published case reports |
| 6. Brand | Background | Is this a real, findable company with fair business practices? | Company registries, regulator records, the brand’s billing and refund terms, complaint records |
| 7. Consumer feedback | Background | What do buyers report, beyond the brand’s own reviews? | Reviews on independent marketplaces; we read a sample and look for repeated side-effect or billing complaints |
Swipe the table to see more →
For interactions, we say whether a risk is documented in people or only theoretical. For customer reviews, we remember that reviews can be faked and that personal reports do not prove a product works.
How the Checks Become a Verdict
A product must pass all 4 quality gates to be Recommended. The safety and background checks can lower a verdict, but never raise it.
| Verdict | When we give it |
|---|---|
| Recommended | All 4 quality gates passed, and no serious concern found in checks 5 to 7. |
| Acceptable | No quality gate failed, but at least one could not be verified. Most often, no independent lab has confirmed what is inside. |
| Not recommended | A quality gate failed, or a serious concern was found in checks 5 to 7. |
A serious concern is something that could harm a typical buyer or cost them money unfairly. Examples include a recall of the product, a documented dangerous interaction with a common medicine, or a repeated pattern of hidden subscription billing.
“Not verified” never means “unsafe.” It means we could not confirm something with an independent source.
Whether we earn a commission plays no part in any check result or verdict.
How We Rate the Evidence
We rate evidence for each health claim separately, not for the herb as a whole. A herb can have moderate evidence for one use and none for another.
| Rating | What it means |
|---|---|
| Strong | Several good-quality human trials, or a high-quality review of them, agree on this outcome. |
| Moderate | A few human trials point the same way, but they are small or short. |
| Limited | One or two small human trials, or early results that still need confirming. |
| Insufficient | Mostly animal, lab or traditional-use evidence. Not shown in people. |
| Inconsistent | Human trials disagree, with no clear direction. |
| No benefit found | Good-quality human trials found no meaningful effect for this outcome. |
We give the most weight to systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials in people. We also check whether a study used the same extract and dose as the product, how long it lasted, who funded it and what its limits were. Animal and lab studies can explain how something might work, but they do not prove it works in people.
How We Label Independent Testing
We only call a product verified when we find this exact product in a certifier’s own official directory.
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Verified | We found this exact product and form in a current, official certifier listing. |
| Partially verified | Some details are confirmed, such as one ingredient or one batch, but not the finished product. |
| Not verified | We found no independent confirmation. This does not mean the product is unsafe. |
| Verification overdue | We confirmed it before, but our re-check is late. Treat the old result with care. |
Some claims sound like independent testing but are not:
- A factory (GMP) certificate covers how a facility works, not what is in a specific bottle.
- A lab certificate (COA) from the brand is not independent unless the lab, the sample and the tests are clearly shown.
- One certified product does not make the whole brand certified.
What We Do Not Do
We are open about the limits of our method, so you can judge our reviews fairly.
- We do not lab-test products ourselves. If we ever do, the review will say which lab, which batch and what was tested.
- We do not take products ourselves and report personal results as evidence.
- We do not let brands pay for a review, see it before it is published or change its conclusion.
- We do not show product prices or marketplace star ratings, because they change daily. We link to the store instead.
- We do not diagnose conditions or give personal dosing advice. Our reviews are general information, not medical advice.
How We Keep Reviews Up to Date
We re-check every review at least every [3 months], and sooner when something changes.
We re-check early when we learn of:
- a recall, warning letter or safety alert
- a major new study on the herb
- a product being added to, or removed from, a certifier’s list
- a change to the product’s formula or label
- a reader’s report of an error
Every review shows the date it was last checked and the date of its next check. Its Review history lists each update. If a verdict changes, we say what changed and why.
Found an Error or New Evidence?
Please tell us. We check every report ourselves and correct mistakes quickly.
Brands are welcome to send corrections with evidence, such as a link to a certifier listing or a full lab report. We verify the evidence independently. A brand can correct a fact, but it cannot approve or change our conclusion.