Even if a natural substance isn't poison in the traditional sense, it can still be harmful. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) points out that kava (used to fight anxiety and insomnia) and comfrey (which has numerous uses in the skin, intestinal system, and throughout the body) can both cause serious damage to the liver.
Older adults in particular need to be careful. They need to make sure a doctor or pharmacist knows about any herbal remedy or other natural substance they're taking. Better yet, they should see about having that that natural remedy checked against other medicines they're currently taking.
Reading a Supplement's Label
Here is some of the information you should be able to get clearly from reading an herbal product's label:
- The name of the specific herb or herbs the supplement provides. A name like “FatAway” (or whatever) doesn’t tell you which “natural” product(s) it’s providing for your weight loss. You should look for both the herb’s commonly used name (like black cohosh or ginseng) which more people are likely to recognize, and the botanical name.
- The product’s active and inactive ingredients, listed in descending order of quantity.
- Whether the product contains the whole plant or an extract. The effect of something like soy found in foods and soy extracts can be very different.
- Clear directions for use. Instead of “Take twice a day,” the label should say something like “Take one capsule in the morning with food and one in the evening with food.” (The more specific the instructions, the better.)
- Expiration date and lot number.
NCCAM points out that an herbal supplement may contain dozens of compounds and that its active ingredients may not be known.
What is the Supplement Actually Providing?
Also consider the possibility that what's on the label may not be what's actually in the bottle. NCCAM notes that when dietary supplements are analyzed differences are sometimes found between labeled and actual ingredients. For example:
- An herbal supplement may not contain the correct plant species.
- The amount of the active ingredient may be lower or higher than the label states. That means it's possible for someone to be taking less—or more—of the dietary supplement than they realize.
- The dietary supplement may be contaminated with other herbs, pesticides, or metals, or even adulterated with unlabeled ingredients such as prescription drugs.
For current information from the Federal Government on the safety of particular dietary supplements, check the "Dietary Supplements: Warnings and Safety Information" section of the FDA Web site
Watch Out for a Supplement's Promises
There’s an old saying that “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”. So if a supplement’s packaging uses words that sound like it's making impossible promises, be careful. Among some of the things to look out for:
- Phrases like “amazing breakthrough,” “miracle cure,” “magic bullet,” and “secret ingredient”.
- Assertions like “purify” and “energize”.
- Promises to cure a variety of unrelated conditions (all with this one herb).
- Claims that the product has been “clinically proven”. If you see the latter, look for specifics –either on the package or at least on the company’s Website -- as to what tests were done, who did the tests, etc. If you can’t find this information, the claim of such proof should be highly suspect.
This is not to say great benefits aren't possible through herbal remedies. Just be sure to use them, like prescription drugs, carefully and wisely.
