A lot of people resort to herbal supplements because they are cheaper, and a many of these products claim that they are harmless and promise better results. However, a new study shows the quality of these drugs is questionable. Australian researchers claim that these herbal medications may contain toxic chemicals.
Herbal Medicines Can Cause Kidney Failure And Liver Damage
Researchers led by the University of Adelaide reviewed 52 studies about herbal medicines and toxicology and found that the toxic chemicals or heavy metals in herbal medicines can cause kidney failure and liver damage in some consumers, or these can react harmfully with other drugs.
Lead author pathology professor Roger Byard said that the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) should require independent testing of these "safe" herbal medicines before actually placing them on the market, and that legal action should be imposed when products fail to comply with regulations, The Guardian reported.
More Testing, More Documentation Should Be Required But This Would Cause More Cost To The Herbal Medicine Industry
The researchers were able to find one man who suffered from epilepsy after taking a Chinese herb that was purported to treat seizures naturally. In another incident, a young boy was given Tibetan herbal vitamins by his parents, only to find out that the pills were later found to contain dangerous levels of lead, and the boy had already consumed 63 grams of the toxic metal over four years.
Byard added that even herbal medicines with no toxic chemicals or secret ingredients could still cause complications. "The lack of systematic observation has meant that even serious adverse reactions caused by some plant species have gone unrecognised until recently," he said.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that some traditional herbal preparations contain toxic chemicals, heavy metals and pesticides. In some cases, the ingredients of these herbal medicines are not listed or their concentrations are recorded inaccurately on websites or labels. The researchers suggest more testing, more documentation, but this will naturally bring more cost to the industry.
