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The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database is the older name of a subscription reference from Therapeutic Research Center (TRC) that covers herbs, supplements, foods and integrative therapies. Today its content is sold as Natural Medicines, marketed to pharmacists under the NatMed Pro name. This page is for librarians, researchers and students who need to know what the resource contains, how it is organised, who can reach it and what free sources sit alongside it. It is general information, not medical advice.
What it is
The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database began as a reference title that also circulated as a print book; the catalogue listings that still rank for the name (archive.org, AbeBooks, Goodreads) are for early print editions. The current online product is published by Therapeutic Research Center, whose Natural Medicines site describes it in its own words as “the most authoritative resource on supplements, natural medicines, and integrative therapies” (read 2026-11-07). That is the publisher’s claim, not an independent assessment.
A university library listing (University of Kansas Libraries, read 2026-11-07) states that the Natural Medicines product combines content from Natural Standard and the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. Naming map:
| Name you may see | What it refers to |
|---|---|
| Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database | The original title; still the name used in library catalogues, older citations and the query people search for |
| Natural Medicines | The current online product from Therapeutic Research Center, combining Natural Standard and Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database content (per the Kansas library listing) |
| NatMed Pro | The name used on TRC pharmacist-facing pages |
Who runs it and what it covers
The publisher is Therapeutic Research Center. Its Natural Medicines site organises content into three databases:
- Ingredients & Therapies: monographs for foods, herbs, supplements, diets, therapies and more.
- Commercially Available Products: dietary supplements, nutritional products, fixed herbal combinations, medical foods and more.
- Manufacturers & Distributors: the companies behind those products.
It also lists tools that answer specific questions: Interactions (natural medicines against prescription and over-the-counter drugs), Effectiveness by Condition, Nutrient Depletions, Pregnancy & Lactation Safety, Adverse Effects and Charts. The Kansas listing adds patient handouts, a continuing-education centre, Natural MedWatch and quick-reference charts. The sources read do not state a monograph count, so none is given here.
How to search or use it
The provider public page describes two routes in. These are the only steps confirmed from the publisher own page; the interface behind the sign-in is not described there.
- Open the Natural Medicines site and locate the sign-in and subscribe links; access is licensed.
- Choose one of the three databases (Ingredients & Therapies, Commercially Available Products, or Manufacturers & Distributors) to browse.
- Or start from a condition using Effectiveness by Condition.
- For safety questions, use the specific tools (Interactions, Adverse Effects, Pregnancy & Lactation Safety, Nutrient Depletions) rather than reading monographs end to end.
The site carries a disclaimer that it is not a substitute for professional medical advice, and that applies to anything you read in it.
Who can access it
It is a subscription product. The Kansas listing says its licence requires institutional sign-in, so the practical route for most students and researchers is through a university or hospital library; check the library A-Z database list. Prices are not published on the pages read and are not stated here.
Is there a free version or a PDF?
The pages read describe a licensed online service and no free edition. Searches for a “PDF” mostly surface print-edition catalogue records, which are not the current online content.
What changed for MedlinePlus users?
MedlinePlus, the US National Library of Medicine consumer health site, posts this notice on its Herbs and Supplements page (read 2026-11-07): “As of July 29, 2025, the herbs and supplements information from the Therapeutic Research Center (TRC) Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database is unavailable.” An older citation or bookmark pointing to TRC-sourced text there will not resolve to that content now.
Strengths and limits
- Strength: task-shaped tools (interaction, depletion, pregnancy and lactation) let you start from a question instead of a monograph.
- Strength: a product-level database sits beside ingredient monographs, which matters when a product label rather than a plant name is what you hold.
- Limit: licensed, so access depends on your institution, and readers without a subscription cannot check what you cite.
- Limit: the “most authoritative” description is the publisher own; evaluate monographs against their cited primary literature.
- Limit: it is a reference tool, not a basis for individual treatment decisions.
Alternatives
| Resource | Run by | What it offers (as read 2026-11-07) | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herbs at a Glance | NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) | A series of brief fact sheets on specific herbs and botanicals: common names, what the science says, side effects and cautions; links to a herb-drug interaction guide | Free, public |
| Herbs and Supplements | MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine | Consumer herb and supplement pages; TRC-sourced content noted as unavailable since July 29, 2025 | Free, public |
| Natural Medicines (NatMed Pro) | Therapeutic Research Center | Monographs, product database, interaction and other checkers | Licensed |
For general scholarly databases, see our entries on Scopus and Web of Science. For other specialist reference databases, see the guides to the WHO Drug Dictionary, Trialtrove and the education-focused ERIC database.
FAQ
Is the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database the same as NatMed Pro?
They come from the same publisher. The Comprehensive Database is the original title; Natural Medicines is the current combined product, and NatMed Pro is the name on TRC pharmacist pages.
Is it free?
No. The publisher site offers sign-in and subscription, and a library listing says the licence requires institutional sign-in.
Is there a free alternative?
Yes, for basic fact sheets: NCCIH Herbs at a Glance and MedlinePlus are public. They are shorter and do not replicate a licensed product tools.
Is there an app?
The pages read for this guide do not confirm a current app; check the provider site or your library.
Sources
- Therapeutic Research Center, Natural Medicines: naturalmedicines.therapeuticresearch.com (read 2026-11-07)
- University of Kansas Libraries, Natural Medicines database listing: lib.ku.edu/database/natural-medicines (read 2026-11-07)
- NIH NCCIH, Herbs at a Glance: nccih.nih.gov/health/herbsataglance (read 2026-11-07)
- MedlinePlus, Herbs and Supplements: medlineplus.gov/druginfo/herb_All.html (read 2026-11-07)
