Herbal supplements are known for
their curative and preventive properties. It is natural to believe that these
medicinal herbs are a hundred percent harmless, given their remedial nature.
However, that is not always the case with all of them.
Herbal supplements can pose
dangerous side effects to the body if taken without a prescription, or with
other prescribed medicines. Before taking any supplements into your diet, make
sure you're aware of the constituents that they're made of and the adverse
reactions that they can have on your body.
Here's a comprehensive guide to help you understand the dual nature of several commonly used supplements that can have serious side effects on your body if taken without prescription.
How To Know What's Inside a Dietary Supplement?
Any herbal supplements fall under
the category of dietary supplements. The US Food and Drug Administration is
responsible for regulating these supplements. Although nutritional supplements
do not need FDA approval, the FDA still requires all the supplements to follow
a strict labeling format.
Hence, these supplements are
labeled accurately with the name of the supplement, a list of all the
ingredients, and finally, the prescribed dosage. By carefully scrutinizing the
list of ingredients mentioned on the dietary supplement bottle, you can easily
infer if the supplement is safe for use.
It would be good to research
different ingredients to educate yourself on the uses and effects that these
ingredients can have. An easy way to do this would be to compare the
ingredients mentioned on your supplement's label against the ingredient list
provided on the Dietary
Supplement Label Database. Here, you can search for dietary
ingredients and supplement manufacturer information, taken from the labels of
around 76,000 supplement products registered in the US.
Some Common Herbal Supplements And Their Effects
Dietary supplements are known for
their healing properties. However, some herbs can react unexpectedly to make
things worse for you. Here are some of the herbs known to most:
Kava
If you suffer from mental health
issues like anxiety or insomnia, you will probably be familiar with this
supplement. Kava, primarily meant to treat anxiety and
insomnia, can cause severe health problems such as hepatitis and other liver
problems. The herb can also be dangerous if taken with other sleeping pills or
for someone who drinks alcohol.
Licorice Root
The popular herbal
supplement Licorice root is commonly used to treat adrenal fatigue, bronchitis,
arthritis, prostate cancer, and dry cough. Even a tiny amount of licorice can
cause severe side effects in people who habitually eat a lot of salt and suffer
from kidney and heart problems. These include hypertension, erectile
dysfunction, paralysis, or worse, even heart failure.
Ginkgo
Ginkgo works wonders for people who have a
problem remembering things. While the supplement may work miracles in improving
memory, it fails the patient when it comes to blood circulation. A hazardous
effect of Ginkgo dietary supplement is thinning of blood which ultimately leads
to excessive bleeding. Therefore, Ginkgo should never be taken with
blood-thinning drugs as the interaction may result in uncontrolled blood loss.
Ginger
Whether a medical expert or a
common man, who doesn't know what ginger is? The herb is a popular kitchen
ingredient and now as you know it- a dietary supplement as well. Ginger is
known to help in weight loss and ease nausea felt by the patient as a result of
surgery or chemotherapy. Ginger can also be used to treat joint pains as well
as arthritis. Where, then, does the herb go wrong? If taken by a person with
diabetes or with blood-thinning drugs, Ginger may cause blood-clotting and
dramatically increase blood pressure and sugar levels.
Aloe
Aloe Vera gel is a big part of
every girl's skincare routine. Known for its soothing properties, this plant is
used to treat sunburns, acne and helps rejuvenate dry skin. However, aloe vera
gel only works best if applied externally. Upon ingestion, the gel may cause
serious health issues such as kidney and heart problems. But, in exceptional
cases, your doctor may prescribe aloe ingestion by the mouth. This is mostly to
treat constipation and reduce blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.
Final Verdict
The unregulated use of herbal supplements may prove to be dangerous. Although these dietary supplements are readily available in the marketplace and can be taken without a prescription, taking them without medical guidance can be risky. These supplements, although beneficial for health, can have adverse effects on the human body. Hence, you should always consult a doctor before taking any dietary supplements, no matter how harmless the herb may seem.
**Image source: Pexels.com
No comments:
Post a Comment