[MR] Herbal Ignorance

[Garth G. Groff]

Friends,

While there may be much truth in herbal lore, these preparations can 
also be very dangerous. Some "cures" are actually great for what ails 
you, while others are bunk. Most have never been given scientific tests 
under controlled conditions. In addition, some herbal remedies might 
work for a particular condition, but can have dangerous side effects.

Two herbs I remember well from when I ran the vitamin/herb department in 
a large health food store:

    Coltsfoot was a common remedy for something I can't remember, and 
was regularly sold in health food stores. Then some controlled 
experiments found that it caused liver cancer in lab animals. The herb 
was dropped by most of our suppliers. (Yes, I know they give lab rats 
mega doses, but it does make you think).

    The other was cascara sagrada, a powerful laxative which is still 
used in many OTC products. It can have one known side effect when used 
long-term: your natural peristalsis may stop unless stimulated by more 
cascara. Thus it can become addictive. A second and chilling effect was 
noticed by researchers doing post mortems on long-term cascara users 
were precursor signs of intestinal melanoma. Internal melanoma is a very 
rare condition, and to find signs in a number of long-term cascara ran 
up a red flag.

I am not opposed to natural/herbal remedies, but there is a lot of 
ignorance out there. Some people will tell you that it is all perfectly 
"natural" and therefore safe. Bull! Death camus, oleander and monkshood 
are all perfectly "natural", and all three can kill you. Before dosing 
yourself (especially internally) with any herbal remedies, you should 
consult a licensed physician, then buy your stuff from a professionally 
trained herbalist.

Kind regards,


Mungo Napier, Archer of Mallard Lodge
(mka Garth Groff)