A Congressional inquiry into the booming herbal dietary supplement industry has found that nearly all of those tested contained some form of contaminant material. Even worse, some manufacturers of the herbal supplements make claims they can’t support through scientific study such as the ability to cure cancer.
While the study found amounts of heavy metals such as cadmium, mercury, and arsenic in the herbal supplements studied, the amounts weren’t considered dangerous. However, nearly half of the drugs studied found pesticide residues that did appear to exceed standard safety levels.
The study was conducted by the Government Accountability Office and will be discussed during a Senate hearing today. The hearing is part of legislation designed to overhaul the nation’s food safety laws including the manufacturing and distribution of herbal supplements. Presently, these herbal supplements are not regulated by the FDA or any other governmental agency. However, of the 40 supplements in the governmental study, 9 of the products make unwarranted and illegal health claims such as reduction in blood pressure, Alzheimer’s cures, and the prevention of diabetes.