12 Supplements You Should Avoid

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Twelve supplements youshould avoid The 12 supplement ingredients in this table have been linked toserious adverse events or, in the case of glandular supplements, to strongtheoretical risks. They're all readily available on the Web, where our shoppersbought them both individually and in multi-ingredient “combination products.”We think it's wise to avoid all of them. But the strength of that warningvaries with the strength of the evidence and the size of the risk. So we've dividedthe dirty dozen into three categories: definitely hazardous, very likelyhazardous, and likely hazardous. Name(Also known as)DangersRegulatory actions DEFINITELY HAZARDOUSDocumented organ failure and knowncarcinogenic properties Aristolochic acid(Aristolochia,birthwort, snakeroot, snakeweed, sangree root, sangrel, serpentary,serpentaria; asarum canadense, wild ginger). Can bean ingredient in Chinese herbal products labeled fang ji, mu tong, ma douling, and mu xiang. Can be an unlabeled substitute for other herbs, includingakebia, asarum, clematis, cocculus, stephania, and vladimiria species. Potenthuman carcinogen;kidney failure, sometimes requiring transplant; deaths reported.FDAwarning to consumersand industry and import alert, in April 2001. Banned in 7 European countriesand Egypt, Japan,and Venezuela. VERY LIKELY HAZARDOUSBanned in other countries, FDA warning, oradverse effects in studies Comfrey (Symphytum officinale, ass ear,black root, blackwort, bruisewort, consolidae radix, consound, gum plant,healing herb, knitback, knitbone, salsify, slippery root, symphytum radix,wallwort)Abnormalliver function ordamage, often irreversible; deaths reported.FDAadvised industry toremove from market in July 2001. Androstenedione(4-androstene-3, 17-dione, andro, androstene) Increased cancer risk, decreasein HDL cholesterol.FDAwarned 23 companies tostop manufacturing, marketing, and distributing in March 2004. Banned byathletic associations. Chaparral(Larrea divaricata, creosote bush,greasewood, hediondilla, jarilla, larreastat) Abnormalliver function ordamage, often irreversible; deaths reported.FDAwarning to consumers inDecember 1992. Germander (Teucrium chamaedrys, wall germander, wildgermander) Abnormalliver function ordamage, often irreversible; deaths reported.Bannedin Franceand Germany. Kava (Piper methysticum, ava,awa, gea, gi, intoxicating pepper, kao, kavain, kawa-pfeffer, kew, longpepper, malohu, maluk, meruk, milik, rauschpfeffer, sakau, tonga,wurzelstock, yagona, yangona)Abnormalliver function ordamage, occasionally irreversible; deaths reported.FDAwarning to consumers inMarch 2002. Banned in Canada,Germany, Singapore,South Africa, and Switzerland. LIKELY HAZARDOUS Adverse-event reportsor theoretical risks Bitter orange(Citrus aurantium, green orange, kijitsu,neroli oil, Seville orange, shangzhou zhiqiao, sour orange, zhi oiao, zhixhi)Highblood pressure;increased risk of heart arrythmias, heart attack, stroke.None Organ/glandular extracts (brain/adrenal/pituitary/placenta/other gland “substance” or “concentrate”) Theoretical risk of mad cowdisease, particularly from brain extracts.FDAbanned high-risk bovinematerials from older cows in foods and supplements in January 2004.(High-risk parts from cows under 30 months still permitted.) Banned in Franceand Switzerland. Lobelia(Lobelia inflata, asthma weed,bladderpod, emetic herb, gagroot, lobelie, indian tobacco, pukeweed, vomitwort, wild tobacco) Breathing difficulty, rapidheartbeat, low blood pressure, diarrhea, dizziness, tremors; possible deathsreported.Bannedin Bangladeshand Italy. Pennyroyaloil (Hedeoma pulegioides,lurk-in-the-ditch, mosquito plant, piliolerial, pudding grass, pulegium,run-by-the-ground, squaw balm, squawmint, stinking balm, tickweed) Liverand kidney failure,nerve damage, convulsions, abdominal tenderness, burning of the throat;deaths reported.None Scullcap(Scutellaria lateriflora, blue pimpernel, helmetflower, hoodwort, mad weed, mad-dog herb, mad-dog weed, quaker bonnet,scutelluria, skullcap)Abnormalliver function ordamage.None Yohimbe (Pausinystalia yohimbe, johimbi, yohimbehe,yohimbine) Changein blood pressure,heart arrythmias, respiratory depression, heart attack; deaths reported.None