Re: Supplement dangers (Was: Re: herbal remedy)

Even something as seemingly innocuose as cayyenne pepper can be
overdone and harmfull. Caution is especially called for with young or
infirm.
Carla wrote:
swan wrote:

lerner@xxxxxx wrote:
I'm trying Passion Flower again. I found a bottle I had from Solaray
that has a best used by date of 05/04. It smells right and was stored
right. Is it possible they are no good?

is it an alcohol tincture? if so, it should be good. if it is
discolored, don't use it . . . . swan . . . .

Thanks for resurrecting this thread, Swan. I wanted to add something to
it.

Someone mentioned snakeroot in one of the posts on this thread. DO NOT use
it. Consumer Reports just did an article on dangerous supplements, and the
active substance in snakeroot is at the top of the list as being
"definitely hazardous" (defined as "documented organ failure and known
carcinogenic properties"). Snakeroot (aka snakeweed, birthwort, sangree
root, santrel, serpentary, serpentaria) is known to be high in the
substance called aristolochic acid, which is a "potent human carcinogen."
This substance can also cause kidney failure, sometimes requiring
transplant. Deaths have been reported after using this plant or another
with the same substance, wild ginger (asarum canadense). Aristoleochic
acid is banned in 7 European countries, Egypt, Japan, and Venezuela. The
FDA has had an alert on it since 2001.

The Consumer Reports article also listed comfrey, chaparral, germander,
kava, and androstnenedione as supplements that are "very likely
hazardous" (defined as "banned in other countries, FDA warning, or
adverse effects in studies"). The information on kava is especially
alarming, as so many of us use it in teas to relax. It is banned in
Canada, Germany, Singapore, South Africa, and Switzerland. It has been
known to cause abnormal liver function and liver damage. occasionally
irreversible. Deaths have been reported.

CR the following supplements as being likely hazardous (defined as
"adverse event reports or theroetical risks"): bitter orange (high blood
pressure, risk of cardiovascular event); organ/glandular extracts
(theoretical risk of mad cow disease); lobelia (breathing difficulty,
rapid heartbeat, low blood presure; possible deaths reported); banned in
Bangladesh and Italy); pennyroyal oil (liver and kidney failure, nerve
damage, convulsions--deaths reported); scull cap (abnormal liver functrion
or damage), and yohimbe (change in blood pressure, heart arhythmia, heart
attack--deaths rerported).

Sorry to be so insensitive as to present evidence contrary to what folks
might want to believe about the benign nature of herbs. But this is not
woo-woo stuff. Folks should only take medicinal herbs as recommended by a
reputable source--by my definition, one that actually uses scientific
evidence to inform their reporting and recommendations. Again, sorry to be
"shoulding" all over everyone. But folks need to know some herbs can kill
them, same as with pharmaceuticals.

.

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