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Are Herbal Remedies Safe
By Loring A. Windblad, Thu Dec 8th
“Natural” does not necessarily mean “Pure”. “Herbal based” doesnot necessarily mean it is 100 percent herbal in makeup.“Organic” does not necessarily mean it is truly, purely,organic. And something that is certified “98% Natural andOrganic” is actually ”2% corrupted material”. Let me ask this:If you take a 10 ounce glass of filtered water, guaranteed pure,pristine, non-harmful, and add 1/8th of an ounce of rat poison,how safe is that water to drink? Likewise, if you are using aproduct that is “98 percent pure”, just how pure is that 100percent product – what is the other 2 percent of it contributingto the overall product? People who are suspicious of traditionalmedicines often prefer to selfmedicate with herbal remedies inthe belief that "natural" equals "safe." Although popularlyconsidered innocuous, herbal remedies may contain powerfulchemicals such as quinine from cinchona bark, digitalis (a heartdrug) from foxgloves or Taxol (an anti-cancer remedy) from yewbark and some contain contaminants such as arsenic, lead andother metals. A taken for medicinal purposes isnot an “over the-counter drug”, but it does deserve caution andrespect. Probably the major difference between “drugs” from oneof the major drug manufacturers and the herbs you grow in yourherb garden or collect growing wild in nature is that the“manufactured drug” is usually a specific extract from the wholeand as such is more concentrated and eliminates all the otherassociated components found in the complete herb. Further, theirpossible dangers are often spelled out on the package insert. Bycontrast, the safety profile of most herbal products is notlisted. And there is a general “unawareness: of the lack ofregulations governing their use by the public as a whole. Mostherbal concoctions are not legally permitted to be sold asmedications in Canada or the USA, but are classified as foods.Since they're regarded as foods, warning labels are notrequired. Only a few herbal products bear federal DrugIdentification Numbers (DIN) approving their sale as drugs.After centuries of experience, the most highly toxic plants havebeen eliminated from the herbalist's stock-in-trade.Lily-of-the-valley, daffodil, deadly nightshade, jimsonweed andhemlock are among substances banned by Health and Welfare Canadafor sale as foods
or in food. Reports about the adverse effectsof some herbal remedies are surfacing, ranging from minor toserious, from lethal poisonings to allergic reactions. Many ofthe adverse effects reported from herbs are frommis-identification but include: severe allergic shock fromcamomile tea, heart problems from liquorice tonics, livertoxicity from comfrey and dizziness from oleander tea. In onerecent case, a woman who mistook oleander for eucalyptus diedafter drinking the tea. In another an elderly couple died within24 hours of overdosing on digitalis, mistaking poisonousfoxgloves for comfrey. Plants containing pyrrolizidine (e.g.,Golden senecio or ragwort) are of increasing concern owing toreports of liver disease from consuming this substance.especially for long periods. Gordolobos tea containing thisingredient - widely consumed in the Southern U.S. - is no longerconsidered safe. Harmful overdoses from herbals are most likelywhen they're made into strong teas, steeped for 10-20 minutes ormore. For example. liquorice contains chemicals that, taken inlarge quantities, can cause sodium and water retention, highblood pressure and even cardiac arrest. In addition, herbalremedies can interact with OTC drugs. Some plants such as tonkabeans, melilot and woodruff, which increase bleeding, should notbe consumed by those regularly taking Aspirin. Several herbs -such as hellebore and hawthorn - can exacerbate the effects ofthe heart medication digitalis. Others such as bayberry, juniperand St. John's Wort, even coffee, are powerful diuretics thatshould not be taken if you are already taking prescriptiondiuretics. In the final analysis, shopping for herbal productsis a matter of “know your product” - or stay away! About the author:Loring Windblad has studied nutrition and exercise for more than40 years, is a published author and freelance writer. This article is Copyright 2005 by http://www.organicgreens.us,http://www.organicgreens.ca and Loring Windblad. This articlemay be freely copied and used on other web sites only if it iscopied complete with all links and text, including the AuthorsResource Box, intact and unchanged except for minor improvements.
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