The Short Version
The scientific and medical evidence overwhelmingly contradicts the assertion that herbal remedies are "inherently safer" than pharmaceutical drugs. Multiple high-authority sources — including the NCCIH, WHO, Mayo Clinic, and numerous peer-reviewed systematic reviews — document serious adverse events from herbal products, including hepatotoxicity, renal failure, and death. The apparent safety record of herbal remedies largely reflects regulatory and surveillance gaps, not actual safety. No credible scientific authority endorses the premise that natural origin confers an inherent safety advantage.