HerbalEGram: Volume 9, Issue 11, November 2012

In recent years, the number of mobile apps available for smartphones and tablet computers has skyrocketed. A 2010 HerbalGram article estimated the number of herb-related iPhone apps to be more than 100, and since then the number has doubled.¹ Additionally, there are 108 apps available for the iPad^® alone, and hundreds more designed for Android^® phones and tablets, Kindle Fire^®, and certain Blackberry^® devices, among others.

In addition to the numerous herb- and supplement-related apps created by individuals and software companies, more nonprofit and governmental organizations are beginning to launch their own apps. Earlier this year, the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), a division of the US National Institutes of Health, released the second version of its MyDS app, which is designed to help consumers keep track of their dietary supplements. The European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy (ESCOP) also developed Herb Reference, an app that allows users to browse information from ESCOP’s large library of plant drug monographs. More recently, in August 2012, the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) Foundation released an interactive app, WannaBeWell, which combines supplement information, virtual wellness coaches, and nutrition and exercise goals to motivate users.


CRN Wants You to be Well

The free WannaBeWell app was developed as part of CRN’s “Life…supplemented” consumer wellness campaign. The campaign focuses on helping people make healthy choices by providing educational resources based on the trade association’s three pillars of health: healthy diet, dietary supplements, and exercise.²

Judy Blatman, CRN’s senior vice-president of communications, explained how the campaign, which recently entered its fifth year, has changed over the years. “We wanted to evolve it into more social media, online media, digital media, and because of the kind of campaign it is, … it made sense to be able to create something that would give people wellness at their fingertips,” she said (oral communication, October 19, 2012). “The overall objective for the app is to activate, educate, and motivate those people who are looking to live a healthier life. There are a lot of customizable features that are going to help people get started and get committed and really look at wellness as something serious but that also has a bit of a fun edge to it.”

From the app’s home screen, users have access to six main features including a detailed dietary supplement library; a reminder section where users can keep on-track with their supplement regimen and set refill reminders; CRN’s Life…supplemented blog; My Wellness Scorecard, a quiz that assesses one’s healthy lifestyle habits; a trophy section where individuals are rewarded for engaging in healthy behaviors; and a customizable coach section, where users can choose one of eight avatars — and their outfits — for wellness advice and motivation.

One trend in social and online media is the “gameification” of certain tasks, which allows readers to be rewarded for a variety of tasks, often through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. WannaBeWell is now employing some of these techniques. 

“We wanted to make something that had some fun to it, that had some challenges to it, and gameification was an important concept to us,” said Blatman. “We wanted to be very careful that, while it was fun, we wanted it to be good information and we wanted it to be responsible information.

The Supplement Library, available through the app and on CRN’s website, is supplied by Aisle7 (formerly known as HealthNotes), a wellness marketing group and online service that provides consumer-friendly, science-based data.³ The library is organized by health condition and individual supplements, and includes information on many herbs such as garlic (Allium sativum), echinacea (Echinacea purpurea and E. spp.), cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon), and milk thistle (Silybum marianum).

The app currently is available only for the iPhone and iPad, but Blatman says discussions are underway about developing an Android version in the future. More information about the app, including download links, can be found at CRN’s Life…supplemented homepage.


ODS App Helps Users Keep Track of Supplement Usage

Although ODS released the first version of MyDS in 2010, the free app has gone through some significant revisions in the past year. Jody Engel, a registered dietitian at ODS, led the effort to develop the app, which allows users to create multiple profiles to keep track of their supplements and the supplements of family members.

“MyDS gives consumers an easy way to track the dietary supplements and other products that they take so that they can easily and more accurately communicate this information with their healthcare providers,” said Engel (email, October 22 and November 1, 2012). “It also provides easy access to consumer-focused fact sheets on dietary supplements, developed by the Office of Dietary Supplements, as well as general information about the Office of Dietary Supplements. Version 2 of MyDS was launched in February 2012 as a response to requests for MyDS to be available to platforms other than the Apple iPhone.”

Perhaps one of the most significant changes was the development of a web-based app — in both English and Spanish — which can be accessed on Apple, Android, and Blackberry mobile devices as well as on desktop/laptop computers using Google Chrome and Safari browsers. The development of web apps is also something that has become more commonplace in recent years. 

“By making version 2 of MyDS web-based, we were able to produce just one app for all of these platforms with no need to submit a new version to each app store every time we have an update,” explained Engel. “This allows the consumer to have access to the most up-to-date information whenever and wherever they may need it.”

At this time, the app includes fact sheets on major vitamins and minerals including calcium, zinc, and vitamins B12, C, D, and E. Additional fact sheets are currently in development on topics such as weight loss and athletic performance. “We are always adding more ODS fact sheets to MyDS as they become available,” said Engel, noting that they are in the process of uploading a vitamin A fact sheet.

Though the ODS “Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet” database online lists many herbs — including bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillis), echinacea, and lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) — herbal fact sheets are not currently available through the app. 

“The fact sheets on botanicals that are included on the ODS website are developed by the NIH National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) in their ‘Herbs at a Glance’ series,” said Engel.  “At this time, there are no plans to add these fact sheets to MyDS.”

The web-based app can be accessed at https://myds.nih.gov/ and more information can be found on ODS’s website.


ESCOP Provides Detailed Herbal Reference Information

Since 1989, the United Kingdom-based ESCOP has represented herbal medicine and national phytotherapy organizations across Europe to advance the science behind herbs, many of which are regulated as medicines in the European Union, not as supplements like in the United States.⁴ The Cooperative is perhaps best known for its development of comprehensive therapeutic monographs — the “Medicinal Uses of Plant Drugs” series — which have been formally submitted to the Committee of Herbal Medicinal Products at the European Medicines Agency, as part of their mission to “advance the scientific status of herbal medicinal products and to assist with the [harmonization] of their regulatory status at the European level.”⁴

Simon Mills, the secretary of ESCOP who played an editorial role in the app-development process, explained how ESCOP’s Herb Reference app will help bring new science-based data on herbal medicine to a larger population. 

“ESCOP has for some time been looking for ways to extend the benefits of its monograph production,” he said (email, October 25, 2012). “Their primary audience has been professionals, industry, and regulators, and it has been felt within ESCOP that a wider public-information service would be valuable for the whole sector.”

ESCOP has now produced more than 100 plant drug monographs dealing with the therapeutic activities of herbs and herbal formulations (as compared to a pharmacopeial monograph, which deals with identity and quality control information). The scaled-down information available through the app is organized by plant and health condition. 

“The app is intended to allow easy access to a range of medicines potentially appropriate to the self care of a wide range of symptoms and conditions,” said Mills. “Some of us have long felt that herbal medicines (as defined in Europe) are an ideal self-care tool. Above all, the apps are designed to be simple with the basic information required to make an informed and safe personal choice. We have avoided long discursive descriptions of the plants in favour of the information most relevant to that choice. We anticipate adding links to wider quality resources in future versions.”

Although the app is available only in English and for the iPhone at this time, plans are underway to develop an updated version. 

“The ESCOP community and the main target market is largely in non-English and Android-dominated markets, and in the next couple of months we will have an Android [app] with multiple language functionality. Translations are well underway,” added Mills.

The app is available for $2.99 through the iTunes app store and through a link on ESCOP’s website. 

Although WannaBeWell, MyDS, and Herb Reference are only three of the hundreds of herb-related apps currently available for mobile devices, the market continues to expand as smartphones and tablets become increasingly commonplace. Virtually anyone with a computer can develop an app, and the quality and accuracy of herbal information available online varies greatly. As such, consulting a licensed healthcare provider and using thoroughly researched, peer-reviewed data from prominent herb and dietary supplements organizations is vital to ensuring consumers have access to accurate, science-based information. 

Editor’s Note: The information provided in this story is for educational purposes only and does not suggest that readers use applications as a substitute for the advice of a qualified healthcare professional. The American Botanical Council has not evaluated these products, nor does ABC endorse them or accept responsibility for the consequences of use or the content of these products.

—Tyler Smith

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