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Dangerous "natural" supplements 9/10
(This article is adapted from the September 2010 ConsumerReportsHealth.org)
You might be attracted to dietary supplements because they're called "all natural" or "herbal" remedies and don't contain the synthetic chemicals found in prescription drugs. But you might be getting fooled.
In fact, supplement manufacturers routinely, and legally, sell their products without first having to demonstrate that they are safe and effective.
The Food and Drug Administration has not made full use of even the meager authority granted it by the industry-friendly 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA).
As a result, the supplement marketplace is not as safe as it should be.
• Consumer Reports has identified a dozen supplement ingredients that we think consumers should avoid because of health risks, including cardiovascular, liver, and kidney problems. We found products with those ingredients readily available in stores and online.
• Because of inadequate quality control and inspection, supplements contaminated with heavy metals, pesticides, or prescription drugs have been sold to unsuspecting consumers. And FDA rules covering manufacturing quality don't apply to the companies that supply herbs, vitamins, and other raw ingredients.
• China, which has repeatedly been caught exporting contaminated products, is a major supplier of raw supplement ingredients. The FDA has yet to inspect a single factory there.
The twelve supplement ingredients listed below are among those linked by clinical research or case reports to serious side effects. Consumer Reports worked with the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, an independent research group that evaluates the safety and effectiveness of nutritional supplements, to develop this list. The dozen are aconite, bitter orange, chaparral, colloidal silver, coltsfoot, comfrey, country mallow, germanium, greater celandine, kava, lobelia, and yohimbe. The FDA has warned about at least eight of them, some as long ago as 1993.
We think it's wise to avoid all these ingredients. Unless otherwise noted, there's insufficient evidence to rate their effectiveness for their purported uses. Dangers listed are not meant to be all-inclusive.
Other supplements to use with caution
In addition to the dangerous ingredients listed above, hazardous ingredients have been known to turn up in dietary supplements marketed for weight loss, bodybuilding, and sexual enhancement. And in light of the potentially serious health risks-including dangerous changes in blood pressure, serious liver injury, kidney failure, heart attack, and stroke—we think consumers should be extremely cautious with those categories of products or avoid them.
Report serious side effects
If you have serious side effects, you can ask your doctor or pharmacist to report them to the FDA, or do it yourself at www.fda.gov/medwatch or by calling 800-332-1088.
Always look for the "USP Verified" mark
The "USP Verified" mark indicates that the supplement manufacturer has voluntarily asked U.S. Pharmacopeia, a trusted nonprofit, private standards-setting authority, to verify the quality, purity, and potency of its raw ingredients or finished products. USP maintains a list of verified products on its website.
| Twelve supplements you should avoid |
NAME
(also known as)
|
PURPORTED USES |
POSSIBLE DANGERS |
COMMENTS |
ACONITE
(aconiti tuber, aconitum, radix aconiti)
|
Inflammation, joint pain, wounds, gout. |
Toxicity, nausea, vomiting, low blood pressure, respiratory-system paralysis, heart-rhythm disorders, death. |
Unsafe. Aconite is the most common cause of severe herbal poisoning in Hong Kong. |
BITTER ORANGE
(aurantii fructus, Citrus aurantium, zhi shi)
|
Weight loss, nasal congestion, allergies. |
Fainting, heart-rhythm disorders, heart attack, stroke, death. |
Possibly unsafe. Contains synephrine, which is similar to ephedrine, banned by the FDA in 2004. Risks might be higher when taken with herbs that contain caffeine. |
CHAPARRAL
(creosote bush, Larrea divaricata, larreastat)
|
Colds, weight loss, infections, inflammation, cancer, detoxification. |
Liver damage, kidney problems. |
Likely unsafe. The FDA advises people not to take chaparral. |
COLLOIDAL SILVER
(ionic silver, native silver, Silver in suspending agent)
|
Fungal and other infections, Lyme disease, rosacea, psoriasis, food poisoning, chronic fatigue syndrome, HIV/AIDS. |
Bluish skin, mucous membrane discoloration, neurological problems, kidney damage. |
Likely unsafe. The FDA advised consumers about the risk of discoloration on Oct. 6, 2009. |
COLTSFOOT
(coughwort, farfarae folium leaf, foalswort)
|
Cough, sore throat, laryngitis, bronchitis, asthma. |
Liver damage, cancer. |
Likely unsafe. |
COMFREY
(blackwort, common comfrey, slippery root)
|
Cough, heavy menstrual periods, chest pain, cancer. |
Liver damage, cancer. |
Likely unsafe. The FDA advised manufacturers to remove comfrey products from the market in July 2001. |
COUNTRY MALLOW
(heartleaf, Sida cordifolia, silky white mallow)
|
Nasal congestion, allergies, asthma, weight loss, bronchitis. |
Heart attack, heart arrhythmia, stroke, death. |
Likely unsafe. Possible dangers linked with its ephedrine alkaloids banned by the FDA in 2004. |
GERMANIUM
(Ge, Ge-132, germanium-132)
|
Pain, infections, glaucoma, liver problems, arthritis, osteoporosis, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, cancer. |
Kidney damage, death. |
Likely unsafe. The FDA warned in 1993 that it was linked to serious adverse events. |
GREATER CELANDINE
(celandine, chelidonii herba, Chelidonium majus)
|
Upset stomach, irritable bowel syndrome, liver disorders, detoxification, cancer. |
Liver damage. |
Possibly unsafe. |
KAVA
(awa, Piper methysticum, kava-kava)
|
Anxiety (possibly effective). |
Liver damage. |
Possibly unsafe. The FDA issued a warning to consumers in March 2002. Banned in Germany, Canada, and Switzerland. |
LOBELIA
(asthma weed, Lobelia inflata, pukeweed, vomit wort)
|
Coughing, bronchitis, asthma, smoking cessation (possibly ineffective). |
Toxicity; overdose can cause fast heartbeat, very low blood pressure, coma, possibly death. |
Likely unsafe. The FDA warned in 1993 that it was linked to serious adverse events. |
YOHIMBE
(yohimbine, Corynanthe yohimbi, Corynanthe johimbi)
|
Aphrodisiac, chest pain, diabetic complications, depression; erectile dysfunction (possibly effective). |
Usual doses can cause high blood pressure, rapid heart rate; high doses can cause severe low blood pressure, heart problems, death. |
Possibly unsafe for use without medical supervision because it contains a prescription drug, yohimbine. The FDA warned in 1993 that reports of serious adverse events were under investigation. |
| Source: Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, Professional Version, June 2010 |
Related links
Supplements to consider
The National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements.
The FDA, for alerts, advisories, and other actions.
Consumer Reports Health's dietary supplements and natural health products information.
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