Study finds herbal products often not what they claim

Do you use herbal supplements to stay healthy? You may not be getting what you paid for.

A new paper by researchers at the University of Guelph has found the use of fillers, such as wheat and rice, to be widespread in the herbal products industry. Many also contain contaminates not listed on the labels. Some supplements didn’t even contain the product they claimed to be selling.

The authors of the study write that “what is listed on the label of herbal products is not always what is found within the product.”

The study found that nearly 60 per cent of the products tested contained traces of plant species not listed on the label, and nearly 70 per cent were found to have contaminants or product substitution not listed on the label.

Some of these contaminants or substitutions can even have a negative effect on your health. The researchers found known allergens, as well as the presence of wheat, which, when unlisted can be a concern to a user who is gluten-intolerant. In total 44 products from 12 companies were tested and only two companies were found to have offered exactly what was labeled on all their products.

The study, published in the journal BMC Medicine, does point out, since there are companies which offer exactly what is claimed, these contaminants are not an unavoidable flaw in the manufacturing process.

“Although there is considerable evidence of the health benefits of herbal medicine, the industry suffers from unethical activities by some of the manufacturers, which includes false advertising, product substitution, contamination and use of fillers,” conclude the authors.