Two-thirds of adults who take herbal supplements are using them to treat conditions for which there is no scientific evidence of effectiveness, a study in Mayo Clinic Proceedings reports. It doesn’t help that mainstream doctors often aren’t familiar enough with complementary therapies to recommend them: Another survey of physicians at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, found that while most believed some treatments hold promise, the majority were not comfortable counseling patients about them.

MSNBC offers short descriptions of 6 natural cures that do work. 3 are herbal but acupuncture, mediation and biofeedback are also mentioned.