The Prince of Wales is being challenged today to withdraw two guides promoting alternative medicine, by scientists who say that they make misleading and inaccurate claims about its benefits.

The documents, published by the Prince and his Foundation for Integrated Health, misrepresent scientific evidence about therapies such as homoeopathy, acupuncture and reflexology, say the authors of a new evaluation of alternative treatments.

In a letter to The Times, Edzard Ernst, Professor of Complementary Medicine at the University of Exeter, and Simon Singh, a science writer and broadcaster, call on the Prince to recall the publications, one of which was produced with a £900,000 grant from the Department of Health.

“They both contain numerous misleading and inaccurate claims concerning the supposed benefits of alternative medicine,” they say. “The nation cannot be served by promoting ineffective and sometimes dangerous alternative treatments.”

Professor Ernst and Dr Singh say the Prince accepted the importance of “rigorous scientific evidence” to alternative medicine, in an article he wrote for The Times in 2000, and point out that more than 4,000 research studies have since been published.

They analysed these studies and previous research for their new book, Trick or Treatment: Alternative Medicine on Trial, finding that only a few treatments, such as some herbal medicines and acupuncture for pain relief, are backed up by the evidence that the Prince demanded. “The majority of alternative therapies appear to be clinically ineffective and many are downright dangerous,” the letter says, and it calls on the Prince to withdraw the publications Complementary Health Care: A Guide for Patients and the Smallwood report.

The first document is a pamphlet, part-funded by the taxpayer, that gives advice on finding practitioners of alternative therapies. It is misleading, Professor Ernst said, because it includes disorders for which alternative remedies have been shown to be ineffective. It states, for example, that chi-ropractic is used to treat asthma, digestive disorders and migraine, when it has been shown by rigorous trials only to be useful for back pain. The guide also promotes acupuncture for addiction, when studies suggest that it has no benefit, and homoeopathy, which a major review for The Lancet has indicated works only as a placebo.

“It explains what these therapies are used for, and that carries an implication that they work when the evidence suggests that many do not,” Professor Ernst said.

The foundation has already withdrawn some sections of the pamphlet from its website, such as a claim that research has shown healing to have benefits for some medical conditions.

The Smallwood report, commissioned by the Prince from Christopher Smallwood, an economist, argued that greater provision of alternative medicine on the NHS could save taxpayers’ money. A study in the British Medical Journal has shown that only five research projects have examined the cost-effectiveness of alternative medicine, and all but one found that greater provision would add to costs.

Professor Ernst was consulted by Mr Smallwood, but said that his criticisms were ignored. Sir Michael Peat, the Prince’s private secretary, accused Professor Ernst of breaching confidence by discussing a draft of the report with The Times.

Natasha Finlayson, of the Prince’s Foundation for Integrated Health, said: “We entirely reject the accusation that our online publication Complementary Healthcare: A Guide contains any misleading or inaccurate claims about the benefits of complementary therapies. On the contrary, it treats people as adults and takes a responsible approach by encouraging people to look at reliable sources of information . . . so that they can make informed decisions. The foundation does not promote complementary therapies.”

Claims and counters

A Guide for Patients Chiropractic: used in disorders of musculoskeletal system such as spine, neck, shoulder problems. It may also be used for asthma

Professor Ernst: no good evidence for anything other than back pain

Acupuncture: increasingly used in trying to overcome addictions to alcohol, drugs and smoking.

The reliable evidence suggests it does not work for addictions

Cranial therapists: the conditions they treat range from acute to chronic health problems

No good evidence for any of this

Homoeopathy: most often used to treat chronic conditions such as asthma; eczema; fatigue disorders; migraine; menopausal problems; irritable bowel syndrome; Crohn’s disease; allergies; repeated infections; depression.

Data do not show homoeopathic remedies to be more than placebos

Reflexologists: work with conditions including pain, chronic fatigue, sinusitis, arthritis, digestive problems, stress-related disorders and menopausal symptoms.

No good evidence for any of this

Reiki: used for physical, mental and emotional conditions

There is no good evidence that Reiki is effective for any condition

Shiatsu: used for a wide range of conditions, from injuries to more general symptoms of poor health

No good evidence for any of this

The Smallwood report Phytodolor: recommended for treatment of UK arthritis patients.

This German preparation is not available in the UK

Manipulative therapies: offer advantages over conventional treatments for lower back pain.

A Cochrane review concludes that there is no evidence that this spinal therapy is superior to other standard treatments