Things to watch out for in herbal supplements

[Guest guest]

Some things to watch for in " Herbal " supplements.

Take care, Bill and Charlotte

'Herbal' supplements can contain animal parts

By Amy Norton NEW YORK, Jul 26 (Reuters Health) -

Despite their plant-based image, some herbal supplements

contain " raw animal parts " --including, according to a

report,

cow brain matter that could theoretically pose the risk for

transmitting " mad cow " disease. There is no evidence that

any herbal product has been contaminated with the agent

that causes bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the

" mad cow disease " that triggers a similar brain-wasting

disease in humans who eat tainted beef. However, Dr.

A. Norton told Reuters Health in an interview, " I would

advise

all of my patients not to take supplements that contain

central

nervous system tissue from animals. " The problem is that

herbal-supplement labeling is not always clear, Norton

writes

in a letter in the July 27th issue of The New England

Journal

of Medicine. Although he found one product that listed with

its ingredients 17 cow organs, from lungs to brain matter,

other manufacturers are not so forthright. For example,

most

consumers would likely not realize that " hypothalamus "

refers to brain tissue, said Norton, a dermatologist and

botanist from Chevy Chase, land. And " orchis " is the

preferred way to refer to bull testicles. " The public, "

Norton

said, " doesn't fully understand what they're getting into

when

they buy these products. " Many people do not critically

review a supplement's label, and even when they do they

may need a " special knowledge " to grasp the terms,

according to Norton. He criticized the " current regulatory

environment " in the US, which limits the power of the Food

and Drug Administration to oversee the dietary supplement

industry. " It is hard for us to guard the public's health

in this

one small niche, dietary supplements, " Norton said. " There

is almost no caution. " Even if supplements containing

animal

tissue pose no health threat, the public should at least be

aware they are there, according to Norton. " I think a lot

of us

would feel we've been duped, " he said, " if we think we're

getting a wholesome product and then find out it contains

animal parts. "

SOURCE: The New England Journal of Medicine

2000;343:304-305.