How Materia works
Methodology
Materia exists to answer one question honestly: what does the research actually say about taking X for Y? Every claim on the site is graded by the strength of the evidence and linked to the studies behind it. We grade conservatively — a remedy earns a high grade only when good human research backs it.
The evidence-grade scale
Grades are assigned per remedy × condition, never to a remedy as a whole. Turmeric might be a B for knee osteoarthritis and insufficient for everything else. Under the hood we reason about the certainty of the evidence (in the spirit of GRADE) and present it as a single consumer-facing letter.
- A
Strong
Consistent results from high-quality randomized trials or systematic reviews / meta-analyses.
- B
Moderate
Some randomized trials, but limited in number, size, or consistency.
- C
Limited
Preliminary, small, or observational human evidence; promising but not settled.
- D
Weak
Traditional use, anecdote, or only lab / animal data. No reliable human evidence of benefit.
- —
Insufficient
Not enough trustworthy evidence to grade in either direction.
Efficacy and safety are separate
A high efficacy grade says nothing about safety. We track interactions, contraindications, side effects, and pregnancy cautions independently, and always show them next to any information about use.
We describe, we don’t prescribe
Where we mention amounts, we report what researchers studied (“studied at 500–1,000 mg/day in trials”), never a dose to take. Materia is a reference, not a prescription.
Tradition vs. evidence
Many remedies carry long histories in Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, or Western herbalism. We record those traditional claims honestly and label whether modern evidence aligns, conflicts, is mixed, or simply hasn’t studied them. A tradition is context, not proof.
Sources
We cite primary research (with PubMed / DOI links, study design, and sample size) wherever possible, supported by authoritative secondary sources such as the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), MedlinePlus, Cochrane, and Memorial Sloan Kettering’s About Herbs database. Every citation shows when we last checked it.
What Materia is not
It is not a diagnosis tool, not a substitute for a clinician, and not sponsored by anyone who sells what it describes. It carries no ads and no affiliate links.