Understand this: all medicinal herbs ARE DRUGS. Plant-derived drugs. No exceptions.
Most modern drugs started as chemicals found in plants. Some of those chemicals are useful. That does not make the raw plant safe, consistent, or appropriate for daily use. If you put it in a human body or an animal body, treat it like a drug: know the dose, the contaminants, the interactions, and the stopping point.
Potency changes from harvest to harvest. Processing can concentrate the wrong fraction. Labels skip the gaps. Those are real risks. When there are no warnings on the label and advertising, then the Manufacturers are ignoring the reality, and truth. Consumers tend to blindly trust, falsely believe things are regulated, and ignore the real world warnings. Marketing pretends the very real dangers do not exist. Reality is what it is... and the cautions should be held as serious as drinking unpurified water from unknown sources.
What the science actually shows
Not folklore versus "big pharma." Measurements from emergency rooms, transplant centers, chemistry labs, and DNA labs looking at bottles people already bought. Full abstracts live on the Research & Citations page.
Adulteration is common, not rare. A global review of DNA-based authentication covering 5,957 commercial herbal products sold in 37 countries found 27% were adulterated relative to the labeled species — wrong plant, extra plant, or none of the named plant claimed on the label. Ichim MC. Front Pharmacol. 2019;10:1227. Open paper.
Herbals and supplements are a growing share of serious liver injury. In the U.S. Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network, liver injury attributed to herbals and dietary supplements rose from 7% to 20% of enrolled cases. Non-bodybuilding HDS cases ended in death or transplant more often than prescription-drug injury (13% vs 3%). Navarro VJ et al. Hepatology. 2014;60(4):1399–1408. Living case file: LiverTox.
They send people to the emergency department. National surveillance estimated about 23,000 US Emergency Room visits a year from dietary-supplement adverse events, and about 2,150 hospitalizations. After child ingestions were set aside, most single-product visits involved herbal or complementary products — especially weight-loss and "energy" formulas. Geller AI et al. N Engl J Med. 2015;373:1531–1540.
Heavy metals are not a rumor from a bad importer. About one in five (1 in 5) Ayurvedic medicines tested in Boston-area shops, and later one in five of both U.S.-made and Indian-made Ayurvedic products bought online, contained lead, mercury, or arsenic at levels that would exceed accepted daily intake if taken as directed. Saper RB et al. JAMA. 2004;292:2868–2873 and JAMA. 2008;300:915–923.
NEGATIVE Interactions are well documented, not theoretical. St. John's wort induces CYP3A4 and P-glycoprotein and can drop levels of cyclosporine, tacrolimus, oral contraceptives, some HIV drugs, and warfarin. Goldenseal is a problem with many prescription drugs. Garlic, ginkgo, and ginseng are treated as bleeding risks around surgery. Asher GN et al. Am Fam Physician. 2017;96(2):101–107; Ang-Lee MK, Moss J, Yuan CS. JAMA. 2001;286:208–216.
Science proves "pesticides in herbs" sometimes exists. Cultivated medicinal plants are farmed crops. They get sprayed. In 1,771 cultivated herbal-medicine samples, pesticides were found in 88%; 59% were over the European Pharmacopoeia limit; 43% carried banned, highly toxic pesticides, some more than 500 times a default MRL. Luo L et al. Chemosphere. 2021;262:127477. PubMed. A separate survey of 1,017 samples of 10 Chinese herbal medicines found pesticide residues in 89.2%. Wang Y et al. Front Pharmacol. 2022;12:818268. Open paper. WHO already treats pesticide residues as a quality-and-safety problem for herbal materials, not a rumor. WHO contaminants and residues (2007).
Regulators have already acted on specific plants. FDA advised industry to remove oral comfrey in 2001 because pyrrolizidine alkaloids cause liver injury. FDA banned ephedra supplements in 2004 as an unreasonable risk of heart attack and stroke. Those are after-the-fact moves under DSHEA, not premarket approval. Letters, rule, and abstracts.
None of that requires you to hate plants. It requires you to stop pretending a capsule from an unstandardized supply chain is the same object as a drug with a known dose. And, it suggests wise people THINK before blindly trusting just any product, from just any company, merely because of marketing or some hype that such and such an ingredient might help you.
A paid celebrity holding a bottle is not a study. Most of them did not write the script, did not pay for the product, and could not actually or honestly tell you what is in it, or what negative impacts that product or those ingredients have. That is not education. That is BRANDING, and often an unhealthy transfer of your money for something that really isn't what you were led to believe.
Some Common Myths:
Understanding truths
- If a substance is 'organic' and 'natural,' it must be safe, better, and effective. (FALLACY)
Those words are marketing, not toxicology. Hemlock is natural. It will kill you. So will enough lead, mercury, cadmium, or arsenic. Accidental overdose of iron-containing products is still a leading cause of fatal poisoning in children under six.
Hemlock is 'natural,' but will kill you. Tiny amounts of arsenic show up in some food and even in otherwise careful supplements. That is a measurement problem, not a reason to swallow an unstandardized drug plant every morning. - Plants contain nutrients and other chemicals. Some of those chemicals have real pharmacologic activity. (TRUE) Used with knowledge, a consistent preparation, and a stopping point, some of them help. For centuries that knowledge sat with a trained healer — not a retail endcap — and was passed from medicine person to medicine person, generation to generation.
- Most modern drugs began as compounds isolated from plants. (TRUE)
- Drugs that reach a regulated market usually got there because someone could show a repeatable effect on a defined problem. (MOSTLY TRUE) That is still not a guarantee. Vioxx, fen-phen, and ephedra are reminders that approval is not omniscience.
- The celebrity in the ad knows the product, used it, and can vouch that it is safe for you. (FALSE) They were hired to read a script. Other than the paycheck, most of them know nothing about what they are holding.
- Pharmaceutical drugs are closely regulated, filled with warnings, and still capable of hurting people years later. Vioxx, fen-phen, and ephedra were prime examples of that failure.
- Medicinal herbs often look gentle in a short study that was never designed to find delayed harm. Many are unproven for the claim on the sales page. Few are better or safer than the prescriptions they pretend to replace.
~ permitting new drugs (development and approval commonly runs into the high hundreds of millions, often cited above $1 billion per new molecular entity).
~ regulations and fines.
~ controlling manufacturer speech on the label and in ads.
~ prescription requirements for many of the chemicals that actually work.
Dietary supplements sit under a different statute — DSHEA, 1994. The company is responsible for safety. FDA does not approve the bottle before it ships. That is the gap this site exists to explain.
Get the facts about anything you put in a body before you decide. Consult with a professional who can actually examine you, your concerns, and/or any type of therapy, treatment measures. That shouldn't be optional when there is some new chemical with drug activity going into your body (impacting your life).
A DRUG is "any chemical, or combination of chemicals, which causes biological activity above and beyond purely nutritional value, or as labeled by the FDA."
(with a few exceptions: insulin, B12 injections, and folic acid (over 1mg), and certain other nutrients and ingredients 'natural' (to the body) are still regulated as 'drugs' by the FDA - to limit abuse and misuse... because too much CAN hurt you).
Webster's Definition of 'DRUG' is:
a : a substance used as a medication or in the preparation of medication
b : according to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
(1) : substance recognized in an official pharmacopoeia or formulary
(2) : substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease. Such as prescription drugs, drugs for treating high blood pressure.
(3) : a substance, other than food, intended to affect the structure or function of the body
(4) : a substance intended for use as a component of a medicine, but not a device or a component, part, or accessory of a device.
We support all responsible and ethical efforts to seek, research, evaluate, and create virtually anything and everything that has a potential to treat or cure any disease, or reducing suffering.
We have a personal and invested interest in helping improve life and longevity, for ourselves and our loved ones... but also you, our fellow human beings. We often look for potential in substances (and/or combinations thereof), which might safely help achieve those goals. It would be amazing and awesome to have a cure for cancer... some 'magic pill' (injection or vaccine) to end suffering and/or diseases. Science has proven, many times throughout history that the key is often in vitamins, minerals, and key nutrients that are natural and normal to the body, already commonly found within the body, and stuff the body actually needs to survive, thrive, and heal.It would be interesting to have the opportunity to live as long as a Giant Tortoise, a Redwood, or a Star System; or to have the natural healing power of some fish; which are all things someone on this planet is researching, thinking about, and trying to achieve.
However, in seeking answers, inventing, creating, researching... to achieve the most benefit for the health & safety of the general public, there should be adequate and uniform standards that small companies and independent researchers can also adhere to, without being forced to either sell out to big pharma, or work in the grey areas of government regulations.
Safety is a valid and important concern, but so are RATIONAL regulations that stop allowing wrongs to thrive, dangers to grow, while silencing so many brilliant minds that don't work for 'Big Pharma' or jump through hoops only big business can honestly afford.
Surely there are common sense happy mediums, which can encourage research... and reward the brilliant people that stumble upon, find, or create new uses... methods... and advantages for different formulas that might help the human race... treat diseases, or otherwise limit or eliminate sickness and healthcare issues.
Yes, companies should have safety concerns for the quality of the ingredients they use in their product; and consumers should expect some rational accountability, especially when ingredients come from countries most Americans can't safely drink the water or eat raw produce from commercial fields in that nation. (Spring 2018's tainted romaine E. coli outbreak was traced to a mega-farm in Yuma, AZ — washing might have helped. Geography is not a magic shield.)
Bulk ingredients should be tested for contaminants, heavy metals, and have some consistency standards someone with a nutritionist background can actually justify. Much information and science already exists... and sadly is often ignored by many 'product buyers' in stores, opting to reward those big advertising budgets, regardless of quality, safety, or effectiveness. Consumers just have to take the time to look beyond the smoke & mirrors, big ad campaigns, and avoid products using celebrities being paid to promote stuff they didn't actually spend their own money on or use prior to being hired.
Many botanicals are plant-derived pharmaceuticals. They are a reservoir of biologically active chemicals that can change a life, treat an ailment, or mask a symptom.
Nature has been a laboratory since the beginning of mankind. Chinese, Celtic, Mongol, Native American, and virtually every other culture passed on plant treatments. Some worked. Some were inconsistent. Some were dangerous. Some were placebo.
When a plant chemical is actually useful, technology isolates it, purifies it, and makes the dose repeatable. That is how you get a drug. That is not how you get most retail herb capsules.
A long list of herbs act as blood thinners or interfere with clotting.
These still show up in products sold for 'daily use.' Alphabetical examples with published concern include angelica, anise, arnica, asafetida, bog bean, capsicum, celery, chamomile, clove, danshen, fenugreek, feverfew, garlic, ginger, ginkgo, ginseng, horse chestnut, horseradish, licorice, meadowsweet, papain, passion flower, poplar, prickly ash, quassia, red clover, turmeric, wild carrot, wild lettuce, and willow. They affect blood flow and clotting. Perioperative reviews treat garlic, ginkgo, ginseng, and related botanicals as bleeding and anesthesia problems. Ang-Lee MK, Moss J, Yuan CS. JAMA. 2001;286:208–216. PubMed. Asher GN et al. Am Fam Physician. 2017;96(2):101–107. AAFP.
Healthy people at low doses are not the whole story. Anesthesiologists and emergency surgeons keep these on a watch list because of bleeding and cardiovascular effects in the operating room. People stacking several of them in an 'all natural' pain or healing cocktail are the ones who get surprised.
If you take an anticoagulant, bleed easily, or have surgery on the calendar, these do not belong in your stack. Tell the surgeon everything you swallow — including tea and 'just a natural capsule.' Warnings for blood thinning, brain effects, and drug interactions belong on the label. Same idea as VAERS for vaccines: a place to put the known and suspected harms, not a shrine to marketing copy.
- If it thins blood, THAT SHOULD BE ON THE LABEL!
- If it alters something in the brain, brain stem, or spinal column... THAT SHOULD BE ON THE LABEL!
- If it changes how other medications or treatments react, THERE SHOULD BE A REAL WARNING...
- ~ a list of all KNOWN, suspected, dangers and valid concerns. Much like the VAERS database for vaccines.
There should be some balance... and common sense employed... as well as real consumer education.
Vitamins, minerals, and nutrients natural TO THE BODY should be regulated (governmentally) differently than 'ingredients' that have 'drug activity' (pharmacological activity). The difference being, those 'nutrients' natural to the body shouldn't be burdened with over regulation, so long as reasonable safety concerns exist in the company (and their formula).
Herbs have little to no nutritional value, but they do contain various chemicals, some with very specific biological activity within a body. Therefore, Herbs are drugs. The distinction between medicinal herbs and pharmaceuticals is completely a fallacy.
However, Medicinal Herbs are typically marketed based upon tradition and anecdotal testimonials with insufficient scientific evidence for safety or efficacy, consistency, potency, or actual limitations to the use.
- R - Resistance or immunity (you need more and more to accomplish the same thing).
- A - Addiction.
- N - Negative interaction with other drugs ... or treatment processes.
- T - Toxic effect, build up, or overdose (often slowly impacting the liver or kidneys, even the heart and brain, over months or years).
- S - Serious Side Effects.
Just because things are 'natural' doesn't mean that they are natural to the body, or that they are good, safe or any better than the synthetic versions. The use of some herbs can be life-saving, under the right circumstances and wise use. While, many have proven to be dangerous, and even life-threatening, really... when used as many of the marketers today (tv, radio, magazine, internet) tell people to 'use' them with so few limits, concerns, and contraindications listed.
For example, a person taking a regular dose of ginko biloba, turmeric, and a long list of other 'herbal' remedies cannot undergo certain major surgeries because they could bleed to death.
Many herbal remedies will absolutely interfere with anesthesia (in the event of a surgery)... either increasing its effectiveness, or interfering with it's ability to block the pain, or otherwise 'put the person under.'
Many medicinal herbs have been shown to actually change the 'uptake' and strength of different medications, vitamins, and even common nutrients necessary to a healthy body.
Source and Processing are also vital, Some herbal products really do have unhealthy and potentially dangerous levels of heavy metals (often found in cheap minerals, and plants grown in soils from counties that have water 'we' (Americans) couldn't drink, using fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides long since outlawed in most countries... and ultimately, just aren't very regulated for their quality control). While 'heavy metals' do not have an immediate effect, science has proven they can build up in in the body, especially the liver, kidneys, and brain... until the impacted organ stops working correctly.
For instance, yucca, promoted as being great for relieving pain and inflammation, contains steroid saponins, chemicals that are directly related to the steroids, which can actually cause joint degeneration with daily, prolonged use.
Understand, since plants can't fight off insects or animals that want to eat them, some plants contain chemicals that cause changes in the way the predator's body works. These chemicals do many different things in the body that eats them.
Some act like the body's own hormones (like testosterone, estrogen, even steroids), while some actually attack the body's immune system.
Depending on the specific plant (chemicals), the amount eaten, contaminants allowed, frequency of the dosing, and the size and type of animal or person, ingestion of medicinal herbs really can be dangerous... and many actually have some scientifically documented cases of seriously negative interactions, and/or consequences, including death, abortions, seizures, or an altered activity of the nervous system.
Many herbs can also be used as antibiotics and anti-fungals, because they can also kill bacteria and fungus.
Nutrition and health products are part of a tricky multi-billion dollar industry. Although it appears that nearly any company can 'jump in,' not all companies have truly effective products, ethical values, and an honest NUTRITIONAL BACKGROUND.
Most 'product' studies are funded BY THE MANUFACTURER of that product, which has an absolute vested interest, therefore reason to skew the facts and selectively pick which points of fact (and numbers) to focus on (and which to avoid). There should be at least two years of safety studies involving NEW INGREDIENTS used in a product that hasn't been previously studied by some independent third-party, college or university, somewhere in the world (not funded by the company wanting the ingredient approved). Understand, most 'nutrients' and 'herbs' have a lot of data on them. The studies should include biopsies of the organs, especially brain, liver, kidneys, and heart of test animals (monogastric mammals, such as mice, rats, pigs, etc. as appropriate).
No one can obviously know IF there are any dangers or damage from an ingredient (especially with drug activity) when there is daily prolonged use for months and years... unless the studies last that long. Anything else is just speculation, and purposefully overdosing to try and gain some quick 'safety parameters' is as nonsensical and inaccurate as the 'Reefer Madness' study or those early cigarette studies that pumped huge concentrations of smoke, while blocking the needed oxygen. That mistake, to try to hurry the results, drastically changed the results, and backfired decades later.
It is vital that safe and ethical studies were done ON INGREDIENTS, preferably by third party science types that have no vested interest in the ingredient, product, or company(ies) selling the product. Otherwise... you, your loved ones, or someone know could be the next 'guinea pig.' A basic safety 'study' really should be on each and every INGREDIENT CONTAINED WITHIN THE PRODUCT!
The negative effects may take days, weeks, months and, sometimes, even years.
A lot depends on three factors:
~ 1) the company - the quality, consistency, and accuracy of the label... and what is actually IN THE PRODUCT.
~ 2) the individual body, the quantity taken, a person's diet, other supplements being used, quality of the ingredients ingested, and the specific herb used.
~ 3) ENVIRONMENT – what the usual diet, water supply, exercise, and genetics are… can also have an impact upon how nutrients are used, stored, and expelled from a body.
The one thing that is certain is that every single drug in existence – whether 'natural' or synthetic – will eventually cause one or more of the above RANTS problems if they are overused, misused, or abused – and that includes daily use for more than a few weeks.
The number of products claiming to help this or that have been growing rapidly over the last 30 years. You can't avoid the array of advertisements claiming some 'magic bullet' or 'miracle cure' or will 'eliminate _______ problems' or 'cure ________' (you fill in the blanks).
Most people don't understand that advertisements claiming "It Works" really does have two very different - and often opposed meanings (click on the box to see the meaning):
and is the most common type, especially on store shelves. The reality is that all oral supplements offering a 'quick fix' are using ingredients (usually herbs: plant derived drugs) that merely mask, cover, or block the symptoms. While they can help with the pain, they ultimately allow the body to continue getting worse, and often causing further injury or problems.
by supplying the body the building blocks necessary to help the body heal itself (when possible), in forms it can readily use, which is the best long term option.
This second option is not the 'quick fix.' It does not eliminate the pain and suffering in hours or days, but over time... as healing occurs. But it is far better for the body.
(Hint: if you're in pain, use pain killers as prescribed, as necessary, but never daily, for prolonged periods of time!)
Please don't misunderstand. There are some good and beneficial herbs, but they are ALL PLANT-DERIVED DRUGS and should not be used each and every day for a prolonged period of time.
Those companies manufacturing, promoting, marketing, selling, and delivering such should honestly list proper safe use, all known side effects, any valid concerns, and real potential dangers when misused, overused, interacting with other medications or treatments. A central database, like VAERS (for vaccines) has been established, and is monitored by the FDA. Frankly, I'd prefer it to be monitored by a NUTRITION based group, not directly related to the 'big pharma' or 'FDA.' Sadly, consumers tend to overuse and misuse, or get caught up in the 'ingredient of the month' club, fad of the season, or some celebrity endorsement for a product they never really bought or used themselves. All of this is why some groups push for more regulation of dietary supplements and drugs.
More sadly, the vast majority of herbs have little to do with 'diet' and are NOT 'natural' to the body (or daily diet).
People really need to understand, and remember, just because things are 'natural' doesn't mean that they are natural to the body or that they are good to use daily. Or that they will remain 'good' if over used, misused, or otherwise abused.
Certain plants, like grass, hay, wheat, as well as most fruits and vegetables... were initially designed 'as food' stuff, to 'nourish' a body, and are things mammals can usually safely eat... but there really are some people that have very real allergies to certain types of food stuff. Peanuts are one of the most common allergies here in America.
Natural isn’t always 'safe' or necessarily any better than the processed, manufactured, or even the synthetic versions.
Some herbs have a proven history of really being life-threatening under a variety of circumstances.
For example, a person taking a regular dose of just ten milligrams (10mg) of ginkgo biloba, or many other 'herbs'; spices, can NOT suffer head trauma or undergo certain major surgeries because they could bleed to death (God help them if they were also taking some type of blood thinner, or blood pressure medicine at the same time).
Turmeric is another amazing 'medicinal herb' (especially when combined with curcumin and black pepper)... BUT it too is a blood thinner, even at low doses, and too much really can hurt you... especially if have an emergency or you're already on some type of blood thinners.
(These type of herbs can affect your pet also, and that pet can’t tell you they are having a problem).
Any ingredients that thin the blood or alter It should be used wisely, with awareness and caution.
Far too many variables that prove daily prolonged use is UNSAFE.
So, when using products containing herbs:
- Be Careful and Aware
- Do not be reassured by claims that a product is 'natural'
- Avoid paid 'celebrity endorsed' supplements, because odds are that celeb didn't really use, try, or buy that product... but they sure want you to!
- Look up the ingredients, Know what you are taking, using, putting in your body (or that of a loved one).
- Specifically look up CONTRAINDICATIONS and known SIDE EFFECTS
- Research the proper use of those herbs (especially limitations, and any negative interactions with any other herbs, drugs, or nutrients),
- Remember to apply the R.A.N.T.S. to every ingredient you use that has drug activity.
- Keep a LIST OF ALL drugs you're taking - whether prescribed or herbal, in case of emergency.
Despite a string of negative study results regarding a variety of herbal ingredients, the 'holistic medicine' and herbal remedy industry continues to rake in tens of billions of dollars every year... filling store shelves with either garbage that doesn't really work, or 'works' merely by blocking symptoms (not what most of the products claim they are doing). The companies develop infomercials for the tv, radio, and facebook making an assortment of miracle claims, and uninformed consumers continue buying into the bait and switch game.
- Black cohosh and hot flashes (Newton et al., Ann Intern Med. 2006;145:869–879. PMID:17179056),
- Echinacea and cold symptoms (Barrett et al. Ann Intern Med. 2002; Turner et al. N Engl J Med. 2005;353:341–348. PMID:16049208),
- GAIT (glucosamine/chondroitin) -(NIH et al. 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 - is a prime example. One of the largest, multi-year nutritional studies rigorously involving thousands of patients and ultimately resulting in no real positives (aside from no one died from it)... despite all the money and effort tossed at attempting to justify the sales of glucosamine/chondroitin.)
- Ginkgo biloba and memory loss or Alzheimer’s disease (Snitz et al., JAMA. 2009;302:2663–2670. GEM trial, 3,069 adults. PMID:20040554),
- HA (oral hylaronic acid) (Weider, 2006, 2008)
- Saw palmetto and benign prostatic hypertrophy (Tacklind et al., Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009. PMID:19370565)
- Silymarin (Fried et al., JAMA. 2012;308:274–282. PMID:22782416, an extract of milk thistle, an herb commonly used to treat liver disease, due to chronic hepatitis C that has not responded to standard therapy with interferons).
- St. John’s Wort (Hypericum Depression Trial Study Group, JAMA. 2002;287:1807–1814. PMID:11939866 — not better than placebo for major depression)
Medicinal herbs have no business being protected, or included, under DSHEA (the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act). Especially if those herbal remedies are made in China, India, Africa, or any other nation that doesn't have QC or regulatory measures, requirements, or responsible liability. Vitamins, minerals, and nutrients 'natural to the body' are one thing, but medicinal herbs can have very real pharmacological activity, and even life threatening drug-drug interactions. Further, medicinal herbs can have exactly the same type of potential for side effects - as well as toxicity - as any commercially prescribed drug. OTC herbs' danger *might* be mitigated slightly, only by the fact that most herbal products generally contain low doses of active ingredients (when used as directed).
Sadly, the very real dangers and honest negative studies seem to have little impact on the sales of herbal products and supplements with the wrong form of active ingredients overall (although they may affect the relative popularity of specific herbs to some extent).
Store shelves, and advertising are riddled with garbage products. Companies can market medicinal herbs without any prior approval from the FDA or need to provide any evidence of safety or effectiveness of the ingredients they use in their products.
The actual ingredients under some 'proprietary made up name' on the label, which means we might not even know what the exact active ingredients are... or what amounts there are.
Many herbal supplements tested off the shelf by a third party were found to NOT HAVE what the label claimed. Some companies even claim that their product supports the structure or function of the body in some way, as long as they don’t mention a specific disease by name. All of this amounts to some massive loopholes easily exploited by any unethical company.
The result of allowing medicinal herbs to fall under DSHEA has been an explosion of herbs into the supplement industry, flooding the marketplace with useless products and false claims.
It would seem to be reasonable and responsible to require manufacturers and marketers of medicinal herbal products to actually prove their products are really safe, as well as effective for whatever they claim it treats. Not only is this not required under the current guidelines, but more importantly, companies can actually continue to market their herbs with claims that have been contradicted by major scientific studies funded by taxpayer dollars. One would think the Federal Trade Commission would step in, under the Truth in Advertising regulations, but that hasn't happened yet.
For the most part, consumers are left to their own devices to sort out which products are likely to be useful... which is why consumers are seeing more celebrity endorsements, and rows of herbal supplements in chain stores.
For more information on herbal supplements, visit the following sites:
How to tell which companies you can trust
Education is the point. A bottle is not a personality.
Learn to read the company the way you would read a drug label.
Under DSHEA, FDA does not approve a supplement for safety or effectiveness before it ships. The company is on the hook. That is why the company matters as much as the plant name. A trustworthy firm looks boring on purpose. An untrustworthy firm looks exciting on purpose.
Green flags — the company is doing the work a drug would require.
- Names the actual species and plant part. Not a made-up blend name that hides the dose.
- Publishes a lot number, a way to contact them, and a place to report a problem.
- Tests for: identity, microbes, heavy metals, pesticides, and known drug adulterants, and can show a certificate of analysis (COA) when asked.
- Follows 21 CFR 111 dietary-supplement GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practices) and does not treat that as a marketing slogan.
- Uses independent human evidence, not a celebrity, not a study they paid for and then edited.
- Puts real warnings on the label when the ingredient thins blood, hits the liver, or changes or knowingly interacts with other drugs.
- Sells nutrition as nutrition and botanicals as short-course drugs — not as a daily supplements for a prolonged period of time.
Red flags — walk away, or at least stop swallowing until you have answers.
- "Miracle," "detox," "ancient secret," "what they don't want you to know."
- Paid celebrity with a script.
- Proprietary blend with no milligram amounts for the active plants.
- No mention of WHERE the 'herbal drug' was derived: root, stem, sap, flower, etc.
- Disease claims dressed as structure/function language. That is an unapproved drug with extra steps.
- Be particularly aware of Weight-loss, "energy," and sexual-enhancement formulas. Those three categories accounted for nearly all FDA Class I supplement recalls from 2004–2012 — every one of them for undeclared drug ingredients. Harel Z et al. JAMA Intern Med. 2013;173:926–930. PubMed.
- No batch testing, no address you can find, no one who answers a safety question.
- The same firm selling a blood-thinning herb as "daily wellness" without surgery warnings.
Apply the site's RANTS test to every herb with drug activity: Resistance, Addiction, Negative interactions, Toxic buildup, Serious side effects. If the company never mentions those, they are not educating you. They are selling you.
Share or cite this page: https://herbsaredrugs.com/ · Evidence file: Research & Citations · Caution list: Dangerous Herbs.
Research & Citations
Abstracts and links: Ichim, DILIN, NEJM, JAMA, FDA, WHO, GAIT.
Dangerous Herbs
Plants with a documented capacity to poison, thin blood, or wreck a pregnancy. Read before you swallow.
The GAIT Study
Largest U.S. trial on glucosamine and chondroitin. What the pills did — and what they did not.
Bad Drugs
(withdrawn from FDA approval)
Prescription products FDA later pulled. Approval is not a lifetime guarantee.
Maximizing Your Supplements
Form, timing, storage, and why you should not swap brands blindly.
- Education - the average doctor of medicine, human or veterinary, studies 8 to 12 years, longer in some specialties.
- Data - thousands of trials run every year. Many are inconclusive, poorly designed, not repeatable, or later disproven. Some are real steps forward. Nobody reads all of them.
- the Physician's Desk Reference (PDR) sits in nearly every doctor's office. The drug edition is thousands of pages of fine print. There is also a PDR for Nutrition and another for Herbs. Reading them is not the same as holding doctorates in medicine, pharmacology, chemistry, toxicology, mathematics, and statistics — which is what the footnotes actually rest on.