Herbal Supplements Available In The Market Could Be A Sham

Herbal supplements available in the market could be a sham, reports Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman in a press release on Feb 3, 2015. The attorney general reported that his office has sent letters to Walgreens, GNC, Walmart and Target, the four leading retailers, to hold selling the herbal supplements in their stores as they don’t seem to contain the herbal constituents as mentioned on the label. Herbal supplements that are requested to be terminated from sale include popularly sold Ginseng, Echinacea, St. John’s Wort and few others.

The leading companies are requested by the AG to furnish clear information on the production, processing and testing of the herbal products they sold as well as about the quality control measures practiced in the stores. In the DNA investigation being performed by the AG’s office on the herbal products available in the market, only 21 percent of the herbal supplements were reported to contain the DNA of the plant constituents as mentioned on the label.

About 79 percent of the herbal supplements either had no DNA of the listed herbs or they had contamination of other plant products, reported the AG. He also added that only 4 pecent of the products sold in Walmart were found to have the herbal compounds as listed in the product label which he regarded as the poorest percentage of all.

The attorney general also mentioned that the "buyer beware" adage is best suited for those who got the practice of buying the popular herbal supplements sold in the market. He mentioned that the DNA investigation has answered the long-time question about the herbal supplements available in the stores.

Mislabelling a product, not taking care of contamination and falsely advertising are illegal, warned the attorney general, as they pose threat to people’s health, especially to those allergic to the hidden contaminants in the products. He requested the American corporations to ensure that people get worthy products for what they pay, most importantly, when health factor is involved.

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