Why Foreign Herbal Medicines
May Be Hazardous To Your Health
Why Foreign Herbal Medicines May Be Hazardous To Your Health
Secret Chinese patent cures, ancient Korean herbs, pills, and balms, Scandinavian teas purportedly brought to
the shores by Vikings, ancient Greek tinctures mixed by the Cassandra, and of course the German balms perpetuated
by hordes of traveling snake oil salesman all have survived the centuries and decades and may today be found in the
oddest places.
Some recipes are copied in books and before long an enterprising entrepreneur is manufacturing a remedy based on
such a remedy and will sell it on the Internet.
Other times those for whom the patent cures were a way of life since early youth see no problem with mixing up a
few batches and selling them via the ethnic food shop owned by the family; leave it to the Internet to be perhaps
the biggest market for tinctures, herbs, pills, and balms that are eagerly gobbled up by those wanting to cure
anything from baldness over infertility and weight issues to unrequited love.
Unfortunately, there is a cornucopia of reasons why foreign herbal medicines may be hazardous to your health and
even though it is had to believe that something that supposedly withstood the test of time is now turning out to be
more useful for rat poison than human consumption, it bears mentioning that all drugs and medicines have the
potential for side effects, but foreign cures have an elevated risk.
Here are the top four reasons why it might be wise to avoid these herbal medicines:
The Purpose of Medications All of us have taken medications at one time or another at some point in our lives. Medications were given to us, or we took them ourselves for various reasons. Medications are used to make us feel better by reducing fever, pain or symptoms of a disease. Medications are supposed to carry benefits for us but they can also carry many risks that may not make us feel better, they may even cause injury to us. Drugs and Medicine |
1. In the old days, snake oil salesman set up shop in the marketplace and quickly traveled on
when their wares were sold.
While the reason for such a hasty departure makes sense in that the purported cures were little more than food
coloring, distilled water, noxious or pleasant flavoring, and perhaps a few dried grass clippings, these
individuals would concoct intricate recipes.
These recipes were never tested and instead little more than a front to the inquiring customer. Brewing up such
recipes today, as may be the case with some foreign herbal medicines derived from such a stock, is dangerous for
obvious reasons.
Make use of your linen closet for medications that are seldom used to make more room in your medicine cabinet. Look for bargains for those medications that you use a lot and stock up. Keep the extra stock on a top shelf of the linen closet away from little hands. Drugs and Medicine |
2. Even genuine cures manufactured oversees may contain contaminants forbidden in the United States.
Heavy metals, poisons associated with weed control, chemicals used in the extraction of essential oils, and of
course the potential for fungal infections of the plants prior to use all make these herbal medicines a cesspool of
ingredients you might not know of.
3. The United States has banned several substances, most notably ephedrine, which are perfectly
legal in foreign countries.
Purchasing such herbal medicines oversees or via the Internet will counteract the protection the United States
Food and Drug Administration it seeks to offer to the residents of this country.
Since many of these substances are not always listed another requirement that is not germane to all
countries you might be getting more than you bargained for.
4. Last but not least, herbal medicines may contain substances that although
harmless may adversely react with drugs you are currently taking.
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