Herbal supplements in US commonly have traces of contaminants

So I could not take your herbal substance. Your manufacturer is obviously doing the correct thing without regulation, but that does not mean that all do. What if I were to buy it from a manufacturer who is not so ethical and puts no cardio/vascular warning. Using it could kill me, and is most likely the cause of a number of drug related deaths. If all manufacturers placed warnings of interaction on their products, there would be no need for regulations, only some don't.

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There is no better love between 2 people than mutual respect for each other WT Young, 2002Who gave anyone the authority to call me an authority on anything. WT Young, 1969Since Evolution is only ~90% correct it should be thrown out and replaced by Creation which has even a lower % of correctness. W T Young, 2008

Hi, Buz. Please, Buz, don't be disingenuous: we have to set a better example for the young'uns.I know the herbals are sold as food supplements. That's the problem we're discussing, not the answer. I could sell methamphetamine as Mother's Little Helper, too, but it would still be crank.If your herbals have any effect, good or bad, it's because they contain chemicals: chemicals active in the human body are called drugs. You want unfettered access to your herbs while completely denying me access to mine. So your appeal to liberty rings pretty hollow. I couldn't agree more, Buz. War? Good Gawd, y'all! What is it good for?I haven't done hot and sandy, but I've done hot and wet, and cold and hard.Nobody seemed to get free, just dead. Edited by Omnivorous, : fix-up iPhone post.

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Have you ever been to an American wedding? Where's the vodka? Where's the marinated herring?!
-Gogol Bordello

Clearly, you can, as the tobacco industry illustrates very well. The trick is to hook them young and then to not kill many of your customers quickly.Anyway...Can you point to a time in history, or a current nation, where this free market situation has worked, or is working, well?Edited by nator, : fixed italics

How does that compare to the number of people who's lives are saved, significantly improved and prolonged by medical practice and prescribed drugs?There are many millions of people all over the world who take prescription drugs and who undergo medical treatements every year, buz.The meaningful number is not any of the ones you listed, but the ratio or percentage comparing the good outcomes with the bad ones.

Why not, when they are used as medicine?They certainly aren't used because they are delicious additions to your favorite recipe.They aren't marketed as food products. The language on the packages talk about things like reproductive organs, bladders, hearts, and digestive systems, and what effects the contents of the box has on the body. Oh, so there is data available on adverse reactions experienced by people taking herbal drugs? Tell me, in which states are Naturopaths, herbalists, health food store clerks, and other people who prescribe herbal drugs to their patients required by the government to report adverse reactions?MDs and hospitals are required, by law, to report these incidents, which is why we have such a lot of information about adverse drug reactions.I wasn't aware that we had the same sort of data for herbal drugs. Where can I find it?Edited by nator, : fixed quote boxEdited by nator, : No reason given.Edited by nator, : No reason given.

If you agree that all drugs and treatments, including herbal drugs, need to be double blind tested, then you agree that they need to be regulated.

How do you know they are telling the truth, just because it says so on the label? How do you figure, when synthetic molecules are, you know, synthesized, i.e. every aspect of their manufacture is supervised and controlled in a lab situation, plus they go through legally-required and quite strict quality control for dosage and impurities?Did you read the article I linked to? When the FDA tested many different supplements, they found that:"some athletes have been rendered ineligible for international competitions because they took supplements that contained steroids not listed on the products' labels. There are thousands of supplements available for sale that contain steroids or other harmful ingredients"and"... one in four have quality problems. According to Dr. Cooperman's written testimony, the most common problems are supplements that lack adequate quantities of the indicated ingredients and those contaminated with heavy metals." What unregulated foods? All foods in the US are regulated, buz.

Good morning. No that doesnt follow. The tests show their efficacy. The regulations control their availability and direct their use. IMHO this is not the govt's job. Again, I am not saying that there should be NO regulation. Regulations can keep you safe the same way that staying inside keeps you from being hit by a car. Informed decisions maintain your safety and freedom.Thalidomide is a good example of a drug that was approved for use in Canada and caused massive damage. Thousands of doctors prescribed it thinking that it was safe because the CMA or whoever said so.I dont think we are that far apart. I am arguing against a culture of relying on others to do your thinking for you. We have it bad up here.

How do you know? Why?

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Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!

And now, though it isn't precisely herbal, an all-natural contraceptive is on the market:Tessera: Dr Kendall's Patent Homeopathic Remedies

If there's no regulation enforcing testing, then why would someone have their product tested for efficacy? It's much more effective to simply tell people its effective than to go to the great expense of showing it. As well, there's considerable risk that your test may discover that the product is not effective, so what's the incentive for an herb seller to do efficacy testing?None at all. All the market incentives are for them to simply lie and say they've tested it.

Freedom for whom?

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"Can we say the chair on the cat, for example? Or the basket in the person? No, we can't..." - Harriet J. Ottenheimer

The primary usage of herbals is preventative food suppliments. They, just like food, can be used, in the broad sense of the term, medicinally but their most common and intended usage is as food suppliments. These food suppliments include such herbs as beets, garlic, wheat grass, cilantro, parsely, flax, rose hips, celery, hot pepper, various berries, including rasberry, cherry, etc. It is irrevelant as to whether they are tasty. What is revelant to this topic is their safety, so far as causing serious enough threat to life and health. Nator, obviously you don't know what you're talking about. None of the many bottles of herbals, minerals and other food suppliments I have mention any of the things you are alleging. I just went to the kitchen and read what we have there. All of the information on the labels is instructions as to how many are recommended for usage, who, if any should not be taken, warnings about children access, and ingredients.Hawthorne is widely known as beneficial to the heart organ but nothing about the heart is mentioned on the bottle. The companies simply produce and market the products. It's up to the healthcare provider or purchaser to pick and choose what they want for whatever purpose, whether preventative or medicinal.Likely I would have not ordered Hawthorne had I not had information about some of it's benefits. In most cases any given herb has a wholistic value, in that many aspects of the overall health of the whole body are benefited by the herb, vitamine or mineral, just like, generally a diet including raw vegies, nuts and fruits are beneficial to the whole body, wholistically. Just like foods such as eggs and meat, they are all already regulated by the FDA. When significant, (I say significant) complaints come known they are suppose to act. compared to foods in general and especially comparable to pharms, no way has there been any significant complaint about the herbals. The most significant feedback from them are the good side effects to the whole body health that they bring.Nator, bottom line is that it nonsensical to put a whole beneficial industry, employing millions out of business; an industry, like the food industry, already FDA regulated by classifying them as prescription drugs when in fact they are not drugs and they pose no significant health risk to life and health. Apples and oranges. LOL. When health issues significant for action by the FDA arise, be it in the food industry or any other reason, it becomes quickly known and the FDA goes into action. It took only one comfry death to a dummie who took too much root to get it outlawed, when in fact multiple deaths are allowable by many pharms still on the market. Follow the money for the answer to that and why the pharms supported Obama-care and this oppressive bill being debated here.

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BUZSAW B 4 U 2 C Y BUZ SAW.
The immeasurable present eternally extends the infinite past and infinitely consumes the eternal future.

We buy from time tested reputable herbal producers and we know they help us keep healthy. Other than that, who cares. It's not revelant to this debate so far as serious health risk goes.

So you don't know. You simply take their word.

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Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!