The popularity of alternative herbal remedies and supplements is increasingly growing all over the world.
From various health literature and natural health websites such as Blue Heron Health News, we learn which herbal supplements help to tackle different health conditions.
Common illnesses such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, insomnia and many others can be greatly alleviated and even cured using herbs provided by nature itself.
However, according to the new study from the University of Guelph’s Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, most herbal supplements on the market today contain unlisted, substances and additives that can be dangerous to our health.
These herbal supplements should be avoided at all cost.
Ontarian researchers revealed a shocking discovery: almost 60 percent of herbal supplements sold today contain substances that are not listed in the ingredient list.
What’s more surprising is that in nearly one third of investigated herbal supplements, the prime ingredient was replaced with a completely different product!
Almost 20 percent of herbal supplements contained various unlisted fillers like wheat, soybeans and rice.
The study investigated 12 companies that produce herbal supplements and only two of them did not use any fillers, unlisted additives and contaminants in their products (researchers did, unfortunately, not reveal which companies were good and bad).
Researchers explain that the unlisted ingredients could pose serious health hazards to consumers. Various herbal supplements are not recommended for a long term use and could interfere with other health conditions.
Also there is a high risk for consumers suffering different types of allergies, as some products were found to be contaminated with walnut leaves and gluten.
This may explain why some studies have “proven” various herbal remedies useless for conditions, even if it’s a well known fact that the true herb actually works.
In the US, there is still very little control over these herbal products. They are considered as a dietary supplement, and unlike medicines, do not need the approval of the FDA.
Good advice is to not only carefully examine the herbal product you buy, but also research very well the reputation of the company that produces these herbal supplements.
Oftentimes it’s better to invest in a good quality organic product rather than a cheaper product that only provides false security.
Any kind of processed pills carry some kind of risk of side effects. It’s therefore always best to seek health in a natural lifestyle and diet.
Here are tips on how to tackle various diseases without drugs or herbs:
As a young man I distinctly remember My father & one of My Aunts telling me that whatever ailment there is that affects mankind there is a herbal remedy to overcome the condition and heal.
Both My Father & My Aunt although just an ordinary folk firmly believed in this philosophy and always practiced what they preached, with both of them living their lives relatively free from the problems that most of their peers suffered from. I often wish that I had taken a little more interest in what they both did, as both went into old age with good mobility and strength, My Aunt living till she was 98 years young and My Father 105 years young.
With regards Herbals, it is common sense to seek out a qualified person who is able to give the correct advice for whatever the problem is.
An alternative is to do the study oneself, there are courses that will guide one in the right direction it just needs dedication and due diligence and like most things that are worth doing, applying the necessary effort to achieve the results you desire.
A fair overview on ONE set ot tests -and the warnings are helpful.
However, beware of falling into Big Pharmers'[sic] trap and do their dirty work of writing out natural cures pinching ‘their’ profits. Codex Alimentarius is still running, to my knowledge!
The previous comment shows how far we’re already removed from home remedies that worked with, quite likely, a few exceptions on the way -with any sub-optimal outcomes never divulged.
We kniow that medics and drug suppliers ‘bury their mistakes’, without usually any trace, due to the chances we all have to take in every field of life.
But where is the list of herbal medicines we must avoid at all costs ?
As Mike asked WHERE IS THIS LIST of HERBALS to AVOID at ALL COSTS??
What a useless waste of time this article is!!!!! No information, whatsoever!!!
Yeah, I was thinking there was going to be a list
of herbal medicines to avoid? Which ones?
Yes, could you please list them? I am using herbal supplements for high blood pressure. thanks
Really? Maybe your next article could cover the deterioration of the Great Barrier Reef. Something with specifics.
Way too general. I, as Mike says would like to see the list of herbal meds you speak about. All we see here is a list of companies ADVERTISING their products.
I understand that many readers are frustrated we didn’t include exact list of the brands tested. Unfortunately this was not revealed in the report from the researchers – so there is little we can do about that (we made that pretty clear in the article).
But even if we had these exact brands, that would not help much. The point of the article is NOT to trust blindly what is written on the label of herbal solutions. Be especially aware of store-brands or cheap brands sold in discount supermarkets. Rather opt for more expensive but trusted brands (New Chapter is one I use… Solgar is another).
Many of the drug companies are also getting into Herbal solutions. Need I say that’s a bad sign.
Hope this helped,
Christian G
Absolutely a waste of my time. Very deceiving. if this gets no better I will unsubscribe.
why do you say it’s a bad sign that drug companies are getting into Herbal solutions?
CONNIE:
“BAD SIGN THAT DRUG COMPANIES ARE GETTING INTO HERBAL SOLUTIONS”. I will tell you this about drug companies and herbals. I remember a time, not many years ago, when all you saw on the store shelves were vitamins by the major pharmaceuticals. Herbs were “alternative culture”, “whacko” etc “unproven” “useless” etc. I thought to myself its only a matter of time until the major pharmaceutical companies start producing their own lines of “herbal” supplements, and, sure enough about five or six years later there they were lining the shelves of grocery stores etc. Why. The typical approach by big pharma is to poo poo anything “alternative” until they can ramp up “THEIR” production and supply lines and flood the market with ‘THEIR” product; then of course its all “researched” by their scientists and studies etc. Its not really about your health..its about their profit margin and big pharma wants to be where the next “thing” is because thats where the “market” will be. Chris’s response was on point; i had the same thought as some of the other posters; where’s the list. What’s the point of doing the research and not make it available. Anyway, Chris’s admonition about buying herbal supplements from well established companies is on point. And if you are really concerned about what’s in your herbal supplement that you want to use or need there’s always a state, provincial, or, private laboratory that i am sure will do analysis for a fee. Its your health after all….think of it as an investment; how much do we spend on cable tv, booze, cigarettes, other “stuff”. My wife has ALS…if you lose your health…you lose a big chunk of your everyday life and it can become a battle for survival every day. Remember the melamine found in baby foods that came from China. We often “assume” big pharma and others have our best interests at heart (health) because that’s what we would do. But, you cant always “assume” sometimes you have to know.
It’s like your my doctor and you say you have cancer but won’t tell me where the cancer is? Also where do we find sellers with the non-additives to the herbal remedies?
You did the research, or some one you know did. Not fair to the rest of us. Why speak/write on this then?
Don’t leave us with no answers! That what the western medical does to us. They wait around for our symptoms to get worse so then they can profit from us.
We need me help with healthy preventative measures not “look out, watch out,” that leaves us in fear. What provocation you left me with! Rose 8189702215
What a crock,not much substance!!!
ROSE:
I think the idea of the article is to remind us to be more cautious when we choose the herbal remedies. As I rule of thumb, if the herbal supplement is super cheap and sold in the supermarket it is most probably not the best quality brand.
Look for the herbal remedies that are sold in the health food stores and ask for assistance, I’m sure they will be more than happy to answer your questions and concerns.
Do not get discouraged, there are many good brands on the market! This research was using only 12 out of thousands herbal remedies sold.
I am also using Solgar and New Chapter, they are more expensive but trusted brands( these are US and all over the world sold brands)
Good luck to you!
So where's the list???
What are the names of these products?
To be fair even though I thought the title of the article was misleading and overall the article itself was general in content I like the fact that admin clarified with a response. Perhaps I spoke earlier in haste and frustration for overall this newsletter has pretty good information in my opinion.
I was disappointed when I didn’t see the list but then I leant that I need to be careful
Unfortunately this is a bit typical of “Blue Heron”. there are some good suggestions in some of the articles, HOWEVER there is also a lot of Exaggeration & Hype. I do wish they would calm it down & be more scientific in their articles.