Study: Many Herbal Supplements Aren't What the Label Says

NY Times ^ | FEB. 3, 2015

[Mount Athos]

DNA testing on hundreds of bottles of store-brand herbal supplements sold as treatments for everything from memory loss to prostate trouble found that four out of five contained none of the herbs on the label. Instead, they were packed with cheap fillers such as wheat, rice, beans or houseplants.

Based on the testing commissioned by his office, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said Tuesday he has sent letters to the four major store chains involved — GNC, Target, Walmart and Walgreens — demanding that they immediately stop selling adulterated or mislabeled dietary supplements.

Nutritionist David Schardt of the Center for Science in the Public Interest said the tests show that the supplement industry is in urgent need of reform, and until that happens, consumers should stop wasting their money.

Schneiderman said tests found no echinacea or any other plant material in bottles of Walmart's Spring Valley Echinacea. He said no ginseng was found in 20 tests of GNC's Herbal Plus Ginseng, which is taken to boost energy.

DNA tests found such substances as rice, beans, pine, citrus, asparagus, primrose, wheat, houseplant, wild carrot and unidentified non-plant material — none of which were mentioned on the label.

The store chain with the poorest showing was Walmart, where only 4 percent of the products tested showed DNA from the plants listed on the labels.

The DNA tests were done on three to four samples of each supplement purchased. Each sample was tested five times. Overall, 390 tests involving 78 samples were conducted.

But Arthur Grollman, a physician and pharmacology professor at Stony Brook University, called the study "a well-controlled, scientifically based documentation of the outrageous degree of adulteration in the herbal supplement industry."

[waterhill]

And half of Noorys show is bs: but alot is really interesting.i

[1_Rain_Drop]

"If you really, really need some herbal product, buy the seeds off of Ebay and then GROW the plant —cheaper and you can TRUST the end product."

How did our grandparents survive?

I grow my own herbs. Once in a while I neglect intentionally to mow a part of my property and then am surprised with what "weeds" pop up! The next chore is to identify those weeds. For a few years I've been wanting to grow stinging nettles but never got around to it. When much to my surprise they started growing near my raspberries last year. What a nice surprise! I am blessed with a big yard but any of these herbs can be grown in pots indoors. One just has to be creative. Herbs that I know I cannot grow at my location, I order from mountain rose herbs.

[Jack Hammer]

I don’t know what all the fuss is about; I take echinacea for my memory and it’s... uh... been... oh, what was I gonna say...?

[TigersEye]

— GNC, Target, Walmart and Walgreens —

Well, there's your problem. Go to a real herbalist or buy from a reputable herbal products company.

[ncpatriot]

can we trust the NYT

[gaijin]

I got some of those germination chambers and I grow my own Ho Shi Wu, Schizandra, basil, and many others.

I LOVE doing this..!

Easy, fun, cheap, healthy. ^_^

[artichokegrower]

A sucker born every minute.

[OldSmaj]

...Arthur Grollman, a physician and pharmacology professor...called the study "a well-controlled, scientifically based documentation of the outrageous degree of adulteration in the herbal supplement industry."

I know some folks that swear by this crap and I try to tell them that the process of actually extracting the "stuff" in these wonder pills is prohibitively expensive and cannot be sold for the prices they charge.

These are the same people that go to a chiropractor to have their spine "adjusted".

[SWAMPSNIPER]

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“And they work as good as the real ones ...”

And kill and maim so few compared to medicines the FDA approves...

[bereanway]

Big Pharma has been trying for years to crack down on the supplement industry. Henry Waxman for years was leading the charge trying to drive the cost of supplement compliance so high they would be unaffordable.

buy from a reputable supplement supplier like Swanson’s. I’ve used them for years and have found their quality to be outstanding. The following is from their website concerning product integrity.

Purity and Potency Guaranteed

All ingredients used in Swanson brand supplements require documentation from the supplier, including a Certificate of Analysis, ensuring that they meet our product specifications. Ingredients are tested at various stages throughout the production process to verify purity and potency. All finished products are inspected by our Quality Control specialists and tested for potency and stability by independent third-party laboratories to ensure that each supplement contains exactly what is stated on the label.

Good Manufacturing Practices

Swanson Health Products is committed to maintaining the highest quality products and the utmost integrity in business practices. Since 2001, we have been operating in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)nearly a decade before it was a regulation issued by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). We are recognized as a Registered GMP Facility by NSF International, the world’s leading authority on standards development and public safety. As participants in the voluntary NSF GMP program, our headquarters and bottling facility in Fargo are audited by independent investigators to ensure complete compliance with federal regulations. With over 65 years of experience operating in 80 countries around the world, NSF conducts investigations with the highest level of scientific and technical expertise. The NSF Mark is recognized for its value in international trade around the world and is respected by regulatory agencies at the local, state and federal levels.

[George from New England]

This is about supplements, what about pharmacueticals ???

The FDA trusts China, how do we know Rx product is safe and what it says it is?

The FDA doesn’t even require labeling Rx with country of origin, or in others words they want to HIDE country of origins from the consumer.

[George from New England]

Does Swanson reveal country of origin on its ingredients. If not then they are just blowing smoke up the consumer’s asses.

[bereanway]

Many herbs in particular have to come from overseas because they’re only grown in certain areas. They guarantee product potency and purity through 3rd party independent labs.

Can’t do much more than that. Ultimately there’s no guarantee anything you buy is exactly as stated. The only thing you can do is rely upon independent 3rd party auditors.

I have found their products to be excellent resulting in dramatic health improvement for me personally.

[Steve_Seattle]

"What did they test? Store brands? Because they mention "Spring Valley" and I don't know if that is a WalMart brand or a nation wide brand."

This raises the question of who is ULTIMATELY responsible. My impression is that a so-called "store brand" is actually manufactured by an independent company that has a deal with a retailer to put the retailers label on it. In other words, Wal-Mart and Walgreens aren't the ones manufacturing these products, they are the ones selling them.

Now, if independent research shows that the products are not what the manufacturers claim they are, the retailers should stop selling them, but isn't the real liability with the manufacturer?

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

You are partly right about store brands or "private label" in that they are made by independent manufacturer. But the recipe is given or cleared by the person who's name is going to be on the label. The manufacture also must clear with the people he is manufacturing for any changes.

Now of course there is the question of who supplies the ingredients and what, if any quality assurance is done on them.

I used to make food bars. We did QC on the ingredients we bought and did COA's on the final product showing that the bars were free of mold, e.Coil, salmonella, run through a metal detector, were within the weight, protein and fat specs given.

But often we were given a special nutrient blend that we were to include in the bars. Other then to check it for harmful micro organisms we did not check that.

It could have been pure wheat flour for all we knew.

[TexasGator]

Wierdo post

[TigersEye]

Report Death by Medicine August 2006

Authors: Gary Null, PhD; Carolyn Dean MD, ND; Martin Feldman, MD; Debora Rasio, MD; and Dorothy Smith, PhD

This fully referenced report shows the number of people having in-hospital, adverse reactions to prescribed drugs to be 2.2 million annually. The number of unnecessary antibiotics prescribed for viral infections is 20 million per year. The number of unnecessary medical and surgical procedures performed is 7.5 million per year. The number of people exposed to unnecessary hospitalization is 8.9 million per year.

The most stunning statistic, however, is that the total number of deaths caused by conventional medicine is nearly 800,000 per year. It is now evident that the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the US. By contrast, the number of deaths attributable to heart disease in 2001 was 699,697, while the number of deaths attributable to cancer was 553,251.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Not sure what’s weird about pointing out that few approved drugs have killed people and maimed...

[editor-surveyor]

Nothing!