Dr. Murray Feingold of Boston Children’s Hospital says, “There is
evidence that herbal supplements can be useful in the treatment of
certain medical conditions. . . . However, they need to meet the same
standards that prescription medications must undergo to prove their
effectiveness and safety.”
DO IT RIGHT:AVOID THESE
HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS
Consumer Reports,
a respected and well-known nonprofit magazine that
tests and reports on many services and products, compiled a list of herbal
supplements to avoid. These nine supplements have been linked to serious side
effects and death and can interact with prescription medications. Sufficient
evidence to rate their effectiveness does not yet exist.
NAME
USED FOR
POSSIBLE DANGERS
Aconite
Inflammation, joint pain,
wounds
Nausea, vomiting, low
blood pressure, heart
and breathing problems,
death
Bitter orange
Weight loss, nasal
congestion, allergies
Fainting, heart attack,
stroke, death
Chaparral
Weight loss, colds,
cancer, infection
Liver and kidney
damage
Coltsfoot
Cough, sore throat,
bronchitis, asthma
Liver damage, cancer
Comfrey
Heavy menstrual
periods, chest pain
Liver damage, cancer
Country mallow
Weight loss, asthma,
allergies, bronchitis
Heart attack, stroke,
death
Kava or kava-kava
Anxiety
Liver damage
Lobelia
Smoking cessation,
coughing
Fast heart rate, very low
blood pressure, asthma,
bronchitis, coma,
possibly death
Yohimbe
Chest pain, depression,
diabetes
High or low blood
pressure, rapid heart
rate, complications,
erectile dysfunction,
heart problems, death
35
HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS
