Did you know that it is not safe to use herbal supplements at your own whim and without the advise of your family doctor or an expert? Learn the facts before these supplements do more harm to you than good .

We have all heard of Echinacea which helps in preventing colds, also about Ginkgo for enhancing the memory and Flaxseed which brings down cholesterol, the list is huge and can go round the planet twice, but are you sure your body system would be able to adapt to the ingredients it entails? Is the supplement FDA approved.

For thousands of years, especially in countries like India and China, herbal medicines have been a way of life for treatment of various ailments and illnesses and it has been proved and studied upon as well.

But herbal supplements haven’t been honored with such scientific study and scrutiny as they western medicines have. They don’t have the required FDA green signal prior to their launch in the world market.

All said and done, we still find herbal supplements readily available over the counter at various malls and pharmacies across the nation.

They are labeled with tags such as “natural” but they are a far outcry from being AU NATURALE, since most of them have drugs mixed in it and hence can have disastrous side effects on your system.Hence speak to your doctor, do your homework, do research and then decide if these supplements are meant for you or not.

There is a regulation by FDA on herbal supplements, but not as what food or other drugs would be tagged as. They would be known to the common folk as dietary supplements rather and would follow a set of rules to be recognized.

Over here there is no need for the producers of such supplements to have an FDA approval. They claim through research to remove illnesses and contain them altogether, but again the FDA hasn’t evaluated the reports.

Good manufacturing processes must be followed by the makers of herbal supplements, which means no use of ingredients, contaminants, lead or pesticides in the dietary supplement should ever be FOUND.

In addition to that, the ingredient proportions should be well balanced and right for individual use. Once it is out in the market, the FDA will start monitoring it and if it is found to be unsafe it would be removed and action would be taken against the product.

Folks, before you start consuming herbal supplements we strongly advise you respect the decision of your doctor and take their advice seriously, after all it is your body we are talking of here.