There is no clear evidence that natural therapies are effective, a government review says, prompting calls for taxpayers and private health insurers to stop paying for them.

A Department of Health review of 17 therapies covered by private insurance released on Monday stated it could not conclude that any worked.

Massage therapy and other natural therapies, may have some benefits, but the evidence was not reliable, the review concluded. Credit:Tamara Dean

While there was "low to moderate quality" evidence that some therapies – for example, massage therapy, yoga and tai chi - may have some health benefits, overall "there was not reliable, high-quality evidence available to allow assessment of the clinical effectiveness of any of the natural therapies for any health conditions", the report, by Chief Medical Officer Chris Baggoley, said.

The federal government spends more than $6 billion on the private health insurance rebate. Parliamentary Budget Office research estimates that the proportion of the rebate spent on natural therapies will cost $67 million in 2017/18, and rise to about $79 million the following year.