What Herbal Supplement Labels Don’t Tell Us

By Logan Chamberlain and Ph.D.
Published on December 1, 1998
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Information typically found on the front of an herbal supplement label.
Information typically found on the front of an herbal supplement label.
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Logan Chamberlain—and an array of herbal supplement preparations—in the National Herb Garden at Washington, D.C.'s National Arboretum.
Logan Chamberlain—and an array of herbal supplement preparations—in the National Herb Garden at Washington, D.C.'s National Arboretum.
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Information you might find on one side of an herbal supplement label.
Information you might find on one side of an herbal supplement label.
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Information you might find on the other side of an herbal supplement label.
Information you might find on the other side of an herbal supplement label.
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Information you might find on the bottom of a supplements bottle.
Information you might find on the bottom of a supplements bottle.

Holiday stress. Winter colds. New Year’s resolutions to eat better and live a healthier life. There are a thousand reasons to turn to natural remedies for a host of complaints at this time of the year. But be forewarned: you’re going to find a dizzying variety of herbal supplement products at your pharmacy or local health food store. Just trying to decide which one to buy can cause confusion, irritability, and mental fatigue — possibly some of the same symptoms that brought you to the store in the first place!

The recent resurgence of herbal medicine is both blessing and curse. We’re fortunate to have so many potent natural remedies easily available; their number grows daily. But we’re unfortunate not to have easy access to information that will help us make the right choices. Which herb is best, say, for a sinus infection? Federal laws prevent manufacturers from providing straightforward dosage/benefit statements on their product labels, so you have to somehow figure out what to do yourself. Once you determine the herb you need, should you use capsules or tablets, liquid tinctures or extracts, or a tea? Should you look for the herb by itself or in combination with other herbs? How much should you take and for how long? Is there any danger in taking herbs with other medications? Is one brand or herbal preparation better than another? If three or four different brands or varieties of an herb are available, how do you choose?

Unless you read a lot of books or magazines on the subject, or get recommendations from a knowledgeable friend (or, better yet, from a trained herbalist), you’ll just have to do your best at deciphering the fine print on the product labels.

Decoding the Product Labels

In thinking about how to explain the intricacies of herb labeling, I went to my local health food store and selected every echinacea product available in capsule form — seven products in all. Echinacea is one of the most popular herbs, so I thought it would make a useful example. Looking at the variations in content, information, terminology, manufacturing processes, claims, and dosages made me appreciate anew how confusing the world of herbal supplements has become. Here’s what I found:

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