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In the US, herbal products are considered dietary supplements; they do not need to FDA approval. A gene sequencing technique called DNA barcoding is allowing researchers to identify plant species in herbal supplements. Results of a recent study using DNA barcoding expose a deplorable record of sloppy handling, cross-contamination and adulteration. Self-regulation, the "honor code" never works. ~ Ilene
From the NY Times:
Herbal Supplements Are Often Not What They Seem
By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
Americans spend an estimated $5 billion a year on unproven herbal supplements that promise everything from fighting off colds to curbing hot flashes and boosting memory. But now there is a new reason for supplement buyers to beware: DNA tests show that many pills labeled as healing herbs are little more than powdered rice and weeds.
Using a test called DNA barcoding, a kind of genetic fingerprinting that has also been used to help uncover labeling fraud in the commercial seafood industry, Canadian researchers tested 44 bottles of popular supplements sold by 12 companies. They found that many were not what they claimed to be, and that pills labeled as popular herbs were often diluted — or replaced entirely — by cheap fillers like soybean, wheat and rice.
[…]
But policing the supplement industry is a special challenge. The F.D.A. requires that companies test the products they sell to make sure that they are safe. But the system essentially operates on the honor code. Unlike prescription drugs, supplements are generally considered safe until proved otherwise.
Under a 1994 federal law, they can be sold and marketed with little regulatory oversight, and they are pulled from shelves generally only after complaints of serious injury. The F.D.A. audits a small number of companies, but even industry representatives say more oversight is needed.
Keep reading Herbal Supplements Are Often Not What They Seem – NYTimes.com.
And at the Huffington Post:
Herbal Supplements Often Contain Unlisted Ingredients
By Rachael Rettner
People who consume herbal products such as supplements may be getting more, or less, than they bargained for. Many of these products contain ingredients not listed on the label, a new study finds.
In the study, nearly 60 percent of herbal products tested contained plant substances not listed on the label. In nearly a third of products, the main ingredient was substituted with a different product. More than 20 percent of products contained fillers such as rice, wheat and soybeans, in addition to the main ingredient.
Overall, out of the 12 companies that produce herbal supplements included in the study, just two had products with no substitutions, fillers or contaminants, the researchers said.
[…]
The researchers analyzed 44 herbal products sold in the United States and Canada, using a gene sequencing technique called DNA barcoding to identify the plant species present in the products. (DNA barcodes are short gene sequences that are indicative of a particular species.)
About 50 percent of the products did contain the main ingredient, but around 30 percent of these also contained contaminants or fillers.
Full article: Herbal Supplements Often Contain Unlisted Ingredients.
Picture credit: Elena Elisseeva | Dreamstime
