Introduction

Germander is tall shrub with small pink flowers that is commonly used for landscaping. It has been used to promote weight loss and to ease joint pain. It can be taken as a tincture or extract. It can also be made into a tea.

Dosages

There are no advised doses for germander.

What Research Shows

There is not enough data to support that germander is helpful in treating health problems. We will review future studies as they are published.

Editorial process and description of evidence categories can be found at EBSCO NAT Editorial Process.

Safety Notes

Germander is not safe. It has been linked to injury of the liver. No one should take germander.A1-A3

Interactions

Talk to your doctor about any supplements or therapy you would like to use. Some can interfere with treatment or make conditions worse.

 

References

A. Safety

A1. Teschke R, Wolff A, et al. Herbal hepatotoxicity: a tabular compilation of reported cases. Liver Int. 2012 Nov;32(10):1543-1556.

A2. Stickel F, Shouval D. Hepatotoxicity of herbal and dietary supplements: an update. Arch Toxicol. 2015 Jun;89(6):851-865.

A3. Brown AC. Liver toxicity related to herbs and dietary supplements: Online table of case reports. Part 2 of 5 series. Food Chem Toxicol. 2017 Sep;107(Pt A):472-501.

Last reviewed July 2019 by EBSCO NAT Review Board Eric Hurwitz, DC