{"id":3552,"date":"2021-01-27T18:58:56","date_gmt":"2021-01-27T18:58:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/?p=3552"},"modified":"2023-03-17T15:31:58","modified_gmt":"2023-03-17T15:31:58","slug":"the-science-behind-herbal-supplements-is-natural-always-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/the-science-behind-herbal-supplements-is-natural-always-better","title":{"rendered":"The science behind herbal supplements: is \u2018natural\u2019 always better?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Herbal supplements have boomed in popularity in recent years, after being used for thousands of years across many cultures. In fact it\u2019s estimated that as high as 4 billion people worldwide take some form of herbal medicinal products, with the market worth over $6 billion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But, while a few show benefits, others just aren\u2019t supported by the evidence &#8211; and could even be damaging. So, it\u2019s important to be careful.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #eb0e75;\"><strong>Here\u2019s the latest science on herbal supplements<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A herbal medicine or supplement is essentially the active ingredient of a herb at a highly concentrated level. Just like conventional medicine, herbal products also have an effect on the body. It\u2019s also important to remember that some medications were in fact originally derived from plant or natural compounds, including morphine, aspirin and the first antibiotic \u2013 penicillin (a type of fungi).<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When it comes to certain gut health complaints, there are some herbal supplements that may be worth knowing about.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #eb0e75;\"><b>Peppermint for bloating<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"color: #eb0e75;\">.<\/span> There is evidence that peppermint oil capsules can help with bloating and abdominal pain in IBS triggered by trapped gas, because they act as an antispasmodic, which means they relax your gut muscles and suppress muscle spasms. Peppermint is also a top source of polyphenols (beneficial plant chemicals).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b><span style=\"color: #eb0e75;\">Ginger for nausea.<\/span> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ginger can act as a natural antiemetic (anti-nausea medication), which can be especially useful in early pregnancy. Drinking ginger tea instead of citrus fruits may also help with heartburn and acid reflux. There are, however, some cases where this shouldn\u2019t be taken, so check with your healthcare team first.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #eb0e75;\"><b>Curcumin for IBD<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, found in turmeric. There is growing evidence that taking in capsule form (studies used 1.5-4g per day) may help with the management of the inflammatory bowel condition Ulcerative Colitis (when taken alongside prescribed medication e.g. mesalazine). Always speak to your consultant before taking supplements.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, just because something comes from a natural source doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s benign and doesn\u2019t guarantee its safety. If not used correctly, some herbal supplements could have potentially harmful results. Plants can create powerful toxins, which can be fatal to humans if ingested in high enough doses. Two examples of \u2018natural\u2019 compounds derived from plants that we know can be dangerous are morphine and cyanide.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b><span style=\"color: #eb0e75;\">Morphine.<\/span> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The powerful opioid drug used for pain relief originates from the humble opium poppy plant. It\u2019s highly addictive, can cause euphoria (think heroin) and overdosing could be fatal<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #eb0e75;\"><b>Cyanide.<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The poison made famous by many a murder mystery is released from compounds found naturally in some plants, such as the stone of bitter apricots. That\u2019s why EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) guidelines advise against eating the stone (along with common sense). But don\u2019t worry &#8211; the chemical is contained within the stone so it doesn\u2019t affect the flesh of the fruit at all.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #eb0e75;\"><b>Potential risks of herbal supplements<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b><span style=\"color: #eb0e75;\">Lack of testing<\/span>.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Unlike pharmaceuticals that are tested extensively to assess efficacy and safety, herbal supplements can be sold without this evidence or safety evaluation, and marketed with claims that aren\u2019t backed by the science. In fact, kidney failure resulting from contaminated herbal concoctions was sadly something I saw quite often when I worked on the Kidney ward.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #eb0e75;\"><b>Drug interactions.<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> If you\u2019re taking other medicines, herbal supplements may reduce or increase the effects. An example of this is the herbal supplement St John\u2019s wort, which interferes with a key enzyme of drug metabolism. This can interfere with medications including warfarin, the oral contraceptive and immunosuppressants.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #eb0e75;\"><b>Body function. <\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High doses of certain supplements, including green tea and multi-supplements marketed for weight loss, have been shown to contribute to liver inflammation, which can affect the body\u2019s detoxification and lead to more serious health consequences.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #eb0e75;\"><b>Herbal supplements and your GM (gut microbiota)<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There have been some test-tube studies showing that certain herbs have antimicrobial action, meaning they fight against \u2018harmful\u2019 organisms in the gut. But it\u2019s important to be aware they\u2019re not selective, so they can also kill other health-promoting bacteria that aren\u2019t the target.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are no high-quality trials in humans to date either. What\u2019s more, these herbal antimicrobial products are poorly regulated and can vary significantly in dose and formulation, meaning that some may in fact do more harm than good.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #eb0e75;\"><b>Key take home<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ultimately, I\u2019m a big fan of all herbs and spices in their original form. They not only add amazing flavour, but also count towards your diversity goals as part of your 30 different plant points per week (think \u00bc point for each). Next time you\u2019re doing your food shop, pick up a herb or spice you\u2019ve never used before and get experimenting in the kitchen this week. Diversity is the spice of life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Herbal supplements have boomed in popularity in recent years, after being used for thousands of years across many cultures. In fact it\u2019s estimated that as high as 4 billion people worldwide take some form of herbal medicinal products, with the market worth over $6 billion. &nbsp; But, while a few show benefits, others just aren\u2019t&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":3553,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-or-nutrition","category-myth-busting"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The science behind herbal supplements: is \u2018natural\u2019 always better? | The Gut Health Doctor<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Herbal supplements have boomed in popularity in recent years, but it&#039;s important to be careful and understand our supplements in depth.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/the-science-behind-herbal-supplements-is-natural-always-better\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The science behind herbal supplements: is \u2018natural\u2019 always better? 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