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South Korean physician named to lead WHO.

On the site’s home page, viewers are directed to an alphabetical listing of herbs and botanicals. A click on the herb or other product of interest links to a detailed monograph on its properties. For example, the section for “garlic” notes that while some trials have demonstrated short-term reductions in total cholesterol and triglycerides with garlic use, sustained responses have not been observed. The garlic monograph also lists the various scientific, brand, and “also known as” names for garlic products and includes information about purported uses; constituents; mechanism of action; pharmacokinetics; warnings, adverse reactions, and drug interactions; and effects on results of diagnostic tests. Physicians are warned, for example, that patients should discontinue the use of garlic pills at least seven days before surgery, and that garlic can interact with insulin, warfarin, cyclosporine, and saquinavir. At the bottom of entry is a literature summary and critique. Readers get summations (and Internet links) of research used to compose the monograph. A “News and Alerts” section also offers the latest information from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and others on herbals and botanicals. Last month, for example, the section included a posting, “FDA Rules that Aloe and Cascara are Not Safe as Stimulant Laxatives.” K. Simon Yeung, a pharmacist at the cancer center who holds a master’s degree in traditional Chinese medicine, maintains the Web site on a full-time basis. He said the monographs are compiled using primary sources such as clinical trial results. If primary sources are unavailable, Yeung then turns to secondary sources such as textbooks to summarize how an herb is being used. When such sources are used, the monograph will mention that there are no published trials on the substance’s efficacy. Once a monograph is listed on the Web site, Yeung and two part-time assistants scan news reports and general databases to determine if there is new information to add to the Web site. They also consult with manufacturers for product updates, and get feedback from patients and physicians. “It’s instructive and useful to know that an institution like Sloan-Kettering has the resources and time to produce a Web site like this,” said Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council. Yeung said he has received few complaints about the information the Web site presents. “We get some e-mails saying we take the Food and Drug Administration’s position too much,” Yeung said. “But our position is that we reflect what the scientific findings are.”