I'm sorry but I find this research very one sided, all I have to do is place over the counter medications and vaccinations in place of the words herbal medicine and the story would be more truthful.  

'Natural' remedies can prove lethal: research

SOME popular herbal medicines can be dangerous, even lethal, contrary to the perception that they are a safe alternative to conventional medicine, a University of Adelaide researcher has warned.

Naturopaths agree that there are dangers in herbal medicines for people who self-diagnose and then ''treat'' themselves with off-the-shelf products. However, they say the industry is generally well regulated.

Forensic pathologist Roger Byard reviewed the risks attached to herbal medicines in last month's edition of the Journal of Forensic Sciences.

He said herbal products had been found to contain potentially lethal levels of arsenic, mercury or lead. Even if not contaminated, some herbs posed health risks such as liver failure, haemorrhage or heart failure.

Many common herbs could cause severe side effects when used with conventional medicine, such as negating the effect of blood-thinning agent warfarin or making epileptic seizures more frequent.

Professor Byard said his interest in the area was sparked by the 2006 death of a young South Australian man who had injected chan su, a traditional Chinese herbal remedy that contains toxic toad venom.

''People think, 'It's growing in the garden - green is good' but plutonium is natural, too,'' Professor Byard said. ''Part of the problem is herbs are very hard to test for [during an autopsy]. We just don't know if this is a widespread problem, we don't routinely test for them.''

He called for tighter regulation of the industry, including a full list of ingredients on anything sold as a herbal remedy. This would help patients and doctors to work out whether it was safe to use, he said.

In his paper, Professor Byard wrote that a recent analysis of 251 Asian herbal products sold in California had found arsenic in 36, mercury in 35 and lead in 24. There were several cases of young children developing lead or arsenic poisoning from traditional remedies.

Popular remedies such as ginkgo biloba, pennyroyal and ma huang can cause liver damage if overused, and a wide range of herbs can trigger heart problems.

The problem is compounded when herbs are contaminated, poorly processed or replaced with a cheaper alternative.

Herbal medicine can also react with conventional drugs, the review found. For instance, St John's wort can reduce the effect of warfarin, garlic makes paracetamol more toxic to the liver, and ginseng can trigger side effects from antidepressants.

''I'm not saying don't take them - herbal medicine is a time-honoured practice with real benefits,'' Professor Byard said. ''But you should talk to your doctor and work it out together.''

Clifton Hill naturopath and herbalist Natalie Cook agreed that herbal medicine could be dangerous in the wrong hands.

''One of the biggest misconceptions about herbal medicine is that since it's natural, it's innocuous,'' she said. ''That's not the case.

''A lot of the risk comes when people self-diagnose, self-treat and buy supplements off the shelf of a supermarket.''

Well-trained naturopaths were aware of the side effects of the herbs, and checked for risks such as drug interaction.

The quality of herbs also varied, she said. ''There's an element of you get what you pay for. Australian manufacturers are very well regulated.''

The National Herbalists Association of Australia is lobbying for a national registration scheme, which will cement uniform standards of training and education across the country.

More than 50 per cent of Australians report using herbal or complementary medicines, and the industry is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Complementary medicines are regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, which vets them for safety and allows only ''low risk'' ingredients. A TGA spokeswoman said complementary medicine manufacturers were required to ensure their products contained minimal amounts of lead and arsenic.

''The presence of such components should not represent an unacceptable risk to public health and safety,'' she said.

Source: The Age in Sydney Morning Herald, February 9 2010, http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/wellbeing/natural-remedies-can-prove-lethal-research-20100208-nnaf.html

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