Herbal Supplements, the New Snake Oil
Health • August 2010 • Views: 428
Many herbal products are complex, highly variable, and impure. Not unlike the nineteenth-century snake-oil preparations that were dangerous but had little (if any) efficacy, many are toxic, carcinogenic, or otherwise unsafe. Known side effects include blood-clotting abnormalities, hypertension, deadly allergic reactions, irregular heart rhythms, kidney and liver failure, exacerbation of autoimmune diseases, and interference with lifesaving prescription drugs….