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Herbal Supplements Are Filled With Lies
By
Nell Casey
Published Feb 3, 2015
Modified Feb 3, 2015
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Lost Mountain Studio/Shutterstock
By
Nell Casey
Published Feb 3, 2015
Modified Feb 3, 2015
Share
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A heads up to cold-stricken New Yorkers who reached for an herbal remedy this season: that probably wasn't echinacea you choked down by the fistful. An investigation by Attorney General Erik T. Schneiderman revealed that herbal supplements being sold at four major retailers—GNC, Walmart, Target and Walgreens—did not contain the herbs they purported to contain. DNA testing on products like echinacea, ginseng, St. John's Wort and garlic revealed that just 21% of store brand supplements from those retailers actually contained the plants listed on the label.
The investigation targeted retail companies in thirteen regions of the state, including Brooklyn, Harlem and parts of Long Island. They found that in addition to many bottles falsely claiming to contain certain herbs, bottles were also chock full of other ingredients, some of which were not a "botanical substance of any kind."
Some of the contaminants identified include rice, beans, pine, citrus, asparagus, primrose, wheat, houseplant, wild carrot, and others. In many cases, unlisted contaminants were the only plant material found in the product samples.
Being duped by the bottle's claims is not only a waste of money but also a health hazard for people with food allergies. One GNC product contained powdered legumes—a potential trip to the ER for someone with a nut allergy—while Walmart's ginko biloba contained wheat, despite a label on the bottle denoting it gluten-free. Read the full list of findings here.
It's a good reminder that herbal supplements are exempt from FDA oversight; however, more than half of the agency's Class I recalls in an eight year period were for dietary supplements. And yet, the supplements industry continues to make billions off the more than 150 million Americans who purchase them each year.
Cease-and-desist letters were sent by the Attorney General's office demanding retailers provide better testing for their products. "The evidence for these herbs' effectiveness is sketchy to begin with," says Senior Nutritionist of the Center for Science in the Public Interest David Schardt. "But when the advertised herbs aren't even in many of the products, it's a sign that this loosely regulated industry is urgently in need of reform. Until then, and perhaps even after then, consumers should stop wasting their money."
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Nell Casey
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