August 18, 2016 general

In “Supplements—the good, the not-so-hot and the potentially ugly—Part 1” I begin to give the rest of the story on some recent supplement warnings. You probably know that nutritional and herbal supplements can be very beneficial. In two weeks, I will discuss some particular benefits; give a few pointers on their more effective use and suggest why supplements remain controversial.

However, it is clear that not every supplement is good for every person at any dosage and at all stages of life. That is one useful point made in the Consumer Reports September cover article. The magazine gives a list of 15 supplement ingredients to always avoid. The medical editor has admitted to a bias against supplements and the list is used in a way that seems designed to purposely paint a bleak picture. However, the list is a “teachable moment” as they say. So that this blog post doesn’t get too long, I’ll cover the 8 of the list this week and finish up the other 7 next week.

Aconite – Why was this item even on the CR list? Aconite is not used as a supplement. (Fun fact: in the past it was used to poison the tips of arrows.) One the 250 species was used (I presume very carefully) as a medicine in ancient Greece. But today, it is only used in homeopathic remedies. In homeopathic form, a toxic substance is safe and can be very healing. Is aconite on the list as a scare tactic or does it just reflect a lack of knowledge? Could be. I have run into pharmacists who do not understand the principles and dilutions of homeopathy and are freaked out by the starting material. See next item.

Caffeine powder – Everyone knows that you can overdose on espresso shots or NoDoz® and experience side effects like rapid or irregular heartbeat and even seizures. People who do not tolerate caffeine would probably know to avoid this ingredient. A homeopathic version of coffee (coffea cruda) works to calm a racing mind and do the opposite of the other symptoms caffeine can generate.

Green Tea Extract Powder – Green tea contains some extremely beneficial compounds such as EGCG. However, it does contain caffeine although less than coffee. Overdoing it can have the same issues as caffeine noted just above. The most common risk lies in not noticing that multiple sources of stimulants add up. An example would be combining a weight loss product, an energy drink and Mountain Dew (high caffeine content).

Chaparal – This herb is quite powerful and native Americans knew how to use it for cancer. It is anti-inflammatory, but, can have negative effects in the wrong hands and wrong dose. (The same can be said of most anti-inflammatory drugs.) I could only find one fringe company that even makes it. Chaparal is not commonly used except perhaps by a few master herbalists who know how to do so safely.

Coltsfoot – This is a rare supplement, but not impossible to find. It has been used for coughs, but there are many other choices that don’t pose a risk to the liver when used in high doses.

Comfrey – Do an online search for this and you will find salves and a very few extracts which can be considered supplements. But, look carefully, the labels say “for external use only”. One product comes up, “ComFree”, is actually an alternative to comfrey that contains none of the herb. Harmful to the liver? It could be, but the thing is, people are not swallowing it.

Germander – I had to really dig on this one to find anything except web pages warning not to use it. One obscure foreign male enhancement product apparently used to contain it in the past but no longer does.

Greater Celadine – You would have a hard time finding this, but if you did, caution is warranted. Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics would be a much better choice for stomach ache.

To be continued…Meanwhile, we can avoid trouble by sticking to mainstream manufacturers with a reputation to uphold. Do not fall for the hype of fly by night sellers of particularly weight loss, body building and sexual enhancement products. Also, be especially leery of outrageous claims of overnight success. Those are often the fringe operators who are most likely to try sneaking pharmaceutical drugs into their products.