The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has no legal provision to analyze dietary supplements for safety, effectiveness nor purity before marketing. Responsibility to assure safety of supplements belongs to the manufacturer. Supplements contaminated with toxic metals and other drugs have reached the marketplace and supplement contents may not match the amounts declared on ingredient labels.The manufacturer controls the decision to designate supplement serving sizes in a supplement and this does not require FDA approval. Please consult a doctor before using supplements.
Kava
Kava comes from the root of the plant Piper methysticum. Rationale for kava supplement use includes relief of anxiety and stress, and natives traditionally consume it as a social drink in the South Pacific. Kava's effectiveness for other purposes remains unclear. Among many adverse effects, kava supplements may cause trouble breathing, involuntary movements, hepatitis, liver failure or death. Germany, Switzerland and Canada banned the sale of kava supplements for such reasons. Concerns exist that kava supplements contaminated with poisonous stem portions of the plant may have caused cases of toxicity. Kava combined with central nervous system depressants or drugs that cause drowsiness produce dangerous, major drug interactions. Cold, allergy or narcotic pain medicines may also dangerously interact with kava. Avoid this herb.
Ignatius Bean
The seed, or bean of the plant Strychnos ignatii contains strychnine. Also called ignatia amara, this supplement is poisonous and unsafe according to RxList. Marketing claims for this supplement promise to reduce everyday stress and tension, to aid sleep in times of grief, worry or shock and to alleviate many other mental and physical symptoms. Despite safety warnings that long-term use can be fatal, ignatia is advertised as ideal for daily use with no side effects or risk of dependence. Serious side effects and toxicities include anxiety, jaw and neck spasms, painful convulsions of the entire body, difficulty in breathing, seizures and death.
Germander
The plant Teucrium chamaedrys, or wild germander, is the source of this supplement. According to RxList, germander is unsafe and should no one should take it for any purported use. Insufficient evidence exists to rate effectiveness for weight loss, gout, or other purposes and it has caused cases of hepatitis and death. Scientists don't yet know the mechanism of how this supplement works. Liver damage caused by this herb prompted French health authorities to ban all germander preparations in 1992. As noted by RxList, natural herbal products such as germander can cause life-threatening injury or death.
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