I have used at least half of those safely and with success. I feel that the F.D.A. and big pharmacutical companies work hard everyday to give good helpful herbs a bad name because they are NOT MAKING MONEY from them. I wish they would let the people of this democracy make their own health decisions and stay out of their medicine cabinets!

The article warning the public against using these supplements was published in Consumer Reports, a privately-run magazine not affiliated with the FDA or drug companies, and which does not accept advertisements.

Thanks for the list. I think the government should AT LEAST regulate them to the point of making sure that the herbs aren't adulterated with ineffective or even toxic substances. That's just TOTALLY NOT COOL. If you are buying an herb, it should be 100% THAT HERB that's on the label.

I agree neo.

The contamination/adulteration problem seems to be especially bad with imported ingredients, i.e. from China (and supplement sellers often don't say where their ingredients come from or have any control over their formulation).

Here's a summary of some recent cases (and recalls) where supplements were found to be adulterated with prescription drugs. What typically happens is that people get sick, and only then are the products tested and the adulteration discovered.