Herb Fads From Acai to Soy

There are a lot of herbal fads on the internet. Before you take them you should ask some very important questions. Are they safe? Are they effective? What, exactly, is in them?

As the world gets smaller and smaller, herbs from other cultures are appearing rapidly. As each comes out, great claims are made as to the wonders they will perform if you buy them. Many are aimed at the rapidly expanding middle of most Americans. Some are supposed to make you young or prevent cancer.

Acai berries are a good example. The juice and tablets are sold as weight loss supplements, but do they work? It’s hard to say as few studies have been done to back up the claim. Some people claim it works and others call it a scam. Which is it? We’ll have to wait until more research is done.

What little research that *has* been done indicates that it is likely to be useful to lower cholesterol. It has a lot of antioxidants, and no toxic qualities. It may, however, interact with some chemotherapy drugs.

It is important to note one important thing about acai berries. Like many fruits, it is best to eat the fruit and drink the juice…minus additives like sugar. The tablets may not provide the same benefits.

Hoodia is a popular weight loss herb. The safety of it depends on who you ask. Many people claim that it is perfectly safe and others point out that it has some draw backs. Hoodia is used to suppress hunger, but it also suppresses thirst. There is the possibility of problems in very hot weather or under a lot of exertion.

It should be pointed out that not all products claiming to have hoodia actually have the amount listed on the bottle. It is said that more hoodia is sold in the U.S. than is imported. Since we don’t grow it here, that’s a problem.

Mangosteen is another fad herb. The juice is used as a tonic, to treat diarrhea and menstrual problems. There’s one problem…you got it, there have been no studies to prove or disprove the use for any reason. I first heard of it as a remedy for gout. Again, there have been no studies.

There is another problem with mangosteen juice. It is prohibitively expensive. The trees don’t grow well in the U.S., so all of the juice must be imported. In order to make a product people can actually afford to buy, it is mixed with sugar water.

Soy has been a fad food and supplement so long it can almost be considered traditional. One aspect of this bean is important to keep in mind; it contains plant estrogens. For some people, this is a benefit, however if you are at risk for hormone related cancers, it could be a problem.

Used properly, the supplements I’ve mentioned should be safe for most people to use. It’s always a good idea to check with your doctor before starting a new supplement. If you have a medical condition or are taking medications, it is vital that you do so.

While the current way supplements are monitored has some problems, it does work fairly well. A good example of why I say that is ephedra. As you may know, it has been banned by the FDA as unsafe, having been proven deadly. All products that contain the herb have been recalled to protect you, the consumer.

I still get questions from time to time about how to get ephedra, sometimes mixed with other herbs. These other mixtures; caffeine and yohimbe being the two most frequent requests; are worse than ephedra by itself. Again, thankfully, the answer is you can’t get it.