If you’re like most Americans you supplement your health with vitamins and herbs whether in powder, tincture, or vitamin form. But a study conducted by Canadian researchers recently showed that of 44 bottles tested, nearly 1/3 had substitutions, meaning there was no trace of the plant advertised on the bottle only another plant in its place.
• As reported in the New York Times: New York Times article
Bottles containing Echinacea actually contained a different “herb” one that has been connected to nausea, gas, and rashes.
Other bottles, containing the popular supplement St. John’s wort, contained none of this powerful herb.
Some bottles contained fillers that are known allergens, including soybean and wheat.
Dr. Baker , a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive medicine, called the state of supplement regulation “the Wild West,” and said most consumers had no idea how few safeguards were in place. “If you had a child who was sick and three out of 10 penicillin pills were fake, everybody would be up in arms,” Dr. Baker said. “But it’s O.K. to buy a supplement where three out of 10 pills are fake. I don’t understand it. Why does this industry get away with that?”
So what’s going on here? Why isn’t this being handled? The FDA requires manufacturers test that their products are safe, but as the New York Times stated, “But the system essentially operates on the honor code. Unlike prescription drugs, supplements are generally considered safe until proved otherwise.”
Our advice, stick with an integrative doctor that you trust, perhaps even an herbalist or an Ayurvedic practitioner who make their own supplements, tinctures and healing oils. Do your research and be astute and aware, if the FDA aint gonna do it for us, we owe it to ourselves to show due diligence to our health.
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