Four popular herbal supplements are to undergo safety checks, the US National Toxicology Programme has announced. The programme--a coalition of agencies that includes the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention--will test aloe vera, ginseng, kava, and milk thistle.
Researchers are expected to take a close look at whether the substances are carcinogenic. The substances were originally nominated for testing by the National Cancer Institute. The recommendations were then reviewed and approved by the federal Interagency Committee for Chemical Evaluation and Coordination, which advises the National Toxicology Program. No data indicating a problem are required for nomination to the programme.
More than 30 substances are tested by the programme each year through rodent and in vitro studies, according to Dr William Easton of National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. No human subjects are used.
One of the most widely used products among those chosen for testing, aloe vera, is commonly used to soothe burned skin, but it is increasingly mining up as a beverage, with claims that it can fight disease by "cleansing" the digestive tract. Dr Easton said that researchers have noted some similarities between aloe vera and croton oil--a known carcinogen.
Other substances that have been nominated for testing are kava, which is popularly believed to work as a muscle relaxant and mood enhancer; ginseng, which is touted as an energy booster; and milk thistle, which is thought to have anticancer properties and to improve liver function. A fifth substance nominated for testing, indole-3-carbinol, is found in cruciferous vegetables--those with cross shaped flowers, such as cabbage and turnip--and is believed to have potential to reduce the risk of cancer.
- BY : Scott Gottlieb
- SOURCE : British Medical Journal1999.08.07
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