#1 Gingko Biloba
Gingko Biloba, which is supposed to increase memory, was found to contain fillers and black walnut in the capsules, but none of the herb claimed on the packaging. Because they are not held to same standards as the medical community, anything can be in your supplements. Quality control is the biggest problem in the herbal industry, and some of the fillers used are not harmless to the body either. For people with nut allergies, black walnut as a filler could mean the difference between life and death.
#2 Garcinia Cambogia
Garcinia Cambogia is the most recent supplement to make news. Quoted as being able to turn any fat you eat into energy, rather than storing it, the bottles are flying off the shelves. Different companies sell different strengths, and it’s been advised that anything over 60% of the active ingredient will produce weight loss. This may be true if what was in the bottle is what was on the label, but we have no real way of knowing the truth.
#3 Green Tea Extract
Dr. Oz was a big supporter of Green Tea Extract, and claims have been made of the resulting weight loss from this supplement. Instead, some people were only filled with hot air. Flatulence resulting from fillers used in offers that claimed they were sending free samples, where you only paid for shipping, became abundant on the internet. How can you really be sure that what it says on the label is actually in the bottle? You can’t.
#4 Colon Cleanse
Colonics and colon cleanse supplements have become all the rage today. Rid your body of toxins trapped in your intestines and lose weight. Your skin will glow, your eyes will glimmer. These are the claims, but are you getting the herbs listed on the bottle of your colon cleanse? Without any regulations in place, it’s a crap shoot ... literally. Worse yet, the fillers may actually harm your body, adding more toxins instead of removing them.
#5 Resveratrol
Resveratrol promised to turn back the hands of time. Did it? Well, it might have if there were actually any traces of the herb Resveratrol in the bottle. Instead, what you get are rice, and other grains, powdered down to fill the capsule. Whether mind over matter, some people actually claimed it worked. Maybe they were the lucky ones who purchased from reputable companies who abided by the F.D.A. requirements, but others were not so lucky.
#6 Acai Berry
The Acai Berry hit the scene and everyone thought they found the miracle cure for weight loss and health. Quoted as having five times the antioxidants than that of the blueberry, people flocked to vitamin stores to stock up on this wonder berry. What they didn’t know was that some companies were using just filler, with little to no acai berry. This hard to find fruit, is expensive and not as abundant as most herbal companies would like. Filler however, is everywhere.
#7 Kava
Kava is another supplement that people depended on for weight loss, but instead got fillers that did nothing for their body weight. Some of these supplements can be pricey, not to mention the cost of medical issues that may arise from food allergies to certain fillers used in the products. Some supplement actually contained herbs that were toxic to human beings, and since some people take supplements religiously, they could be doing real harm to their bodies.
#8 Echinacea
Echinacea, an herbal supplement used to prevent and shorten the duration of colds, was found to contain fillers such as powdered grains. None of these fillers are listed on the label, causing grave concerns for officials who fear the supplements may be making some people sick. While the F.D.A. requires that labels convey accurate information, there is no system in place to enforce that, instead just trusting that the companies will follow protocol, but most don’t.
#9 St. John's Wort
We spend up to $5 billion dollars a year on herbal supplements with the promise that we will lose weight, boost memory, make our skin glow and our eye sight better, but a lot the claims are empty promises. Most times what we are getting in the bottles are just powdered rice and weeds. In bottles of St. John’s Wort, which is claimed to treat mild depression, only rice was found in the capsules.
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