Myth: Natural Medication always safe as alternative to Synthetic Medication

As per a research by a Consumer Reports magazine, the common perception that if a medication is natural then it must be safe is not completely true.

The research revealed that a large number of herbal supplements that are presently banned in Europe and Asia are freely available and used in the United States inspite of the fact that they can result in side-effects such as kidney or liver damage, cancer, and even death.

From News-Medical.Net:

The consumer publication found a dozen herbal supplements, some banned in Asia, Europe and Canada but widely available in the United States, may cause cancer, kidney or liver damage and even death. Those highlighted include:

Aristolochia, has received attention because of its alleged link to kidney damage and the onset of cancer. This herb was a part of a Chinese herbal compound, used in a weight reduction treatment regimen, in Belgium, in the early 1990s. By 1993, instances of kidney failure were documented in patients who had received treatment.

Yohimbe - which is a tree bark containing a variety of pharmacologically active chemicals. It is marketed in a number of products for body building and "enhanced male performance." Serious adverse effects, including renal failure, seizures and death, have been reported to FDA with products containing yohimbe and are currently under investigation.

Bitter orange, similar to ephedra, the banned weight-loss supplement believed responsible for 155 deaths nationwide.

The researchers also noted chaparral, comfrey, germander, kava and scullcap, all of which are known or likely causes of liver failure; lobella because of its impact on the heart; and pennyroyal oil because of possible liver, kidney and nerve damage.

The FDA has already sent warning letters to 16 dietary-supplement distributors in this regard along with an advice not to sell the bodybuilding supplement, androstenedione.