Supplement Basics

First, background facts

What are herbal supplements?

Herbal supplements are botanicals, entire plants or plant parts, seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark, or flowers used as medicines to treat diseases or maintain health. 

Called herbal or botanical supplements, homeopathic remedies, "alternative" or "complementary" medicines, traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic (East Indian) medicines, or phytomedicines, these products may contain:

·         vitamins, minerals, herbs, or other plants,

·         amino acids (the individual building blocks of protein),

·         intact sources or extracts from plants, animals, algae, fungi or lichens.

·         Essential fatty acids (EFA's, Omega 3's, etc.)

·         probiotics.

They supplement your food intake and should not be considered a substitute for food.

Natural health supplement products have a long history of use in herbalism and traditional medicine from every culture on Earth. Yet allopathic medicine negates these millennia of successful treatments, focusing instead on the lack of "scientific proof" that botanical medicines are effective.

Although ginseng has been used for centuries, we read that "modern research supporting its efficacy is lacking." Tradition and long histories of successful healing are discounted because they are not "scientifically" proven; hundreds of past recoveries are discounted because a modern scientist was not there to generate a hypothesis and establish the substance's healing power through replicated experiments. 75 or 300 participants in a "scientific" trial outweigh hundreds or thousands of historically documented healings? Experiments can follow a control group for 20 years when trying to get a drug on the market, but there is no time, money or interest in effectively documenting the "long-term safety" of a natural food like ginger, which is safer and cheaper.

White willow is another excellent example. It is a natural analgesic (pain reducer) with no other significant impact on the body. Science has tried to replicate this in the form of aspirin. True, aspirin lessens pain, but at what cost? Look it up. https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/aspirin-oral-route/side-effects/drg-20152665?p=1. With aspirin, there are literally hundreds of interactions with other medications and hundreds of possible side effects. That fact is a growing concern in a population of increasingly aware individuals beginning to think for themselves instead of just accepting what science (and doctors) try to sell them.

Health Canada defines natural health products as "naturally occurring substances used to restore or maintain good health." They offer many healing benefits, including reducing inflammation, supporting your immune system, serving as antioxidants, restoring nutrient deficiencies, and so much more! Natural medicines reduce your reliance on synthetic medications, and they do it without harmful or toxic side effects. "The ultimate norm for any medicine (human made or natural) is their nontoxicity, effectiveness, specificity, stability and potency." ¹

Herbal supplements come in all forms:

·         Dried – chopped, powdered, capsule,

·         Liquid – tinctures, syrups, teas, drinks

·         Topicals – creams, gels, lotions, essential oils

·         Ingested – gummies, energy bars

Many dietary supplements (and some prescription drugs) come from natural sources, but "natural" does not always mean "safe." For example, the kava plant is a member of the pepper family, but taking kava supplements can cause liver disease if they are overused for long periods of time. Health Canada and the FDA ban products containing Ephedra or ephedrine, alone or combined with caffeine and other stimulants, for weight loss, bodybuilding or increased energy. Use of these products may have serious, possibly fatal, adverse effects for individuals, even with no preexisting medical conditions. In Canada, Ephedra/ephedrine is only approved for use in nasal decongestants.

Combining multiple supplements or taking higher-than-recommended doses can increase the risk that they can cause harm, especially if you are also taking pharmaceutical medications prescribed by another practitioner or doctor.

"You really can't get toxic doses of nutrients through food, but you can absolutely get toxic doses through supplements." What we need here is some common sense.

Consider the quality of the products.

Vitamin and mineral supplements can be "synthetic" – derived through chemical processes – such as the vitamins and minerals in many multivitamins (e.g., Centrum), which are derived from synthetic source ingredients, or "natural" – derived directly from plants or other materials. Unfortunately, if a product has even a small percentage of natural ingredients, the manufacturer can call it a natural product. They do not have to declare that the product contains synthetic ingredients. Nor do manufacturers have to report the quality of their active ingredients. To understand the pricing structure and implications, keep in mind the following sequence. I will use mullein leaves (Verbascum thapsus) as an example, but this pertains to any natural ingredient:

Ø  A field of organically grown mullein leaves is harvested and sent to manufacturer A for use. Manufacturer A has very high-quality standards supported by a state-of-the-art laboratory that puts some of the leaves through multiple tests and analyses to ensure that the active, medicinal ingredients (saponins, iridoid and phenylethanoid glycosides, flavonoids, vitamin C and minerals) meet their standards for optimal balance and potency.

Ø  They do not, so the shipment is rejected and sent back to the distribution centre, where it is again offered for sale at a lower price.

Ø  Manufacturer B also has high-quality standards and puts some of the leaves through multiple tests to ensure that the active, medicinal ingredients meet their standards.

Ø  They do not, so it is sent back to the distribution centre, where it is again offered for sale at an even lower price.

Ø  Manufacture C's standards are not quite so stringent, but this shipment doesn't even meet their standards, so back it goes.

Ø  Manufacturer D's standards are satisfied by the crop. Even though the active ingredients are weak, they can still say their product (a capsule) contains 500 mg of the herb. It didn't cost them much, so they can offer it at a much-reduced price.

The point of this sequence is to illustrate why there is a lot of talk about herbal products not working. The cheap ones are cheap because the quality of the active ingredients is poor. Some manufacturers may use the word "standardized" on a supplement label, but it does not necessarily mean the same thing from one manufacturer to the next. You may need to take 6 CoQ10 a day of brand D to help your heart, or two a day of a high-quality CoQ10 from brand A. Or maybe, knowing this, Company D's label will tell you to take two daily to make it seem that their product is as potent as brand A. I've already shared that herbal supplements are not generally subject to clinical trials in North America, but neither are they kept to the same manufacturing standards (see the sequence above) as prescription or traditional over-the-counter drugs are claimed to be. So, how can you choose an effective supplement? How can you tell the difference? Educate yourself, seek the help or advice of a practitioner, buy your natural health supplements from a health product store, or ask someone who knows about the different brands.

In Canada, herbal supplement labels are closely scrutinized. A label might explain how its contents can influence different bodily actions, but it can't refer to treating specific medical conditions unless Health Canada has specifically approved the label. For example, St. John's Wort is a popular herbal supplement helpful in treating depression. One company's product label on St. John's Wort might say, "Traditionally used as a sedative for the relief of restlessness or nervousness," whereas another might say, "For the relief of symptoms of depression, nervous stress and debility." Which of these is likely a higher-quality product?

If you visit a practitioner, you will not see them offering or using off-the-shelf (OTS) herbals. The brands they carry are professional-grade medicinal quality, making treatments much more effective. Yes, these supplements are more expensive, but they are high-quality brands using active, high-quality synergistic ingredients that work like medicines in the body to restore health.

The old adage "You get what you pay for." still rings true.

¹ Nisar et al., Nat Prod Chem Res 2017, 6:2. Comparison of Medicinally Important Natural Products versus Synthetic Drugs-A Short Commentary. Natural Products Chemistry & Research. 2017.

Photo by tsaiga on Unsplash

Jaylee Balch

Onto The Path of Enlightenment!

What are some common herbal supplements? Something extra for you . . .