To lose weight, sleep better or prevent certain diseases, one in two Canadians takes vitamins, mineral supplements and herbal-based products. The natural products industry is going full tilt. In the United States, sales rose by 380% between 1990 and 1997. In Canada, sales approached three billion dollars in 1999. But these products aren’t always beneficial. “The fact that we call these substances ‘natural’ has a health connotation; they are natural and thus not dangerous,” says Jacques Le Lorier, a researcher in pharmaco-epidemiology and Professor of Pharmacology at Université de Montréal. “But I can name twenty plants that can kill you! Hemlock, for example.”

Health Canada reports that 24 worldwide people who hoped to overcome their problems of insomnia or nervousness damaged their livers by taking products that contain kava, which was recently prohibited in Canada. One of them died, and many others had to undergo transplants. Recently, the journal Neurology pointed the finger at a medicinal plant responsible for serious neurological problems, as an Italian lady discovered when she followed a weight loss plan. Some plants can accentuate the effects of prescription drugs, or even interfere with them. For example, diabetics have experienced a rise in blood sugar after taking glucosamine. Women who took birth control pills and St. John’s wort have suffered uterine haemorrhaging. Worse yet, patients have suffered acute organ rejection when St. John’s wort interfered with cyclosporin, an anti-rejection drug. It should not be forgotten that many traditional drugs (morphine, ephedra, aspirin) are derived from plants. “Any product that has an effect also shows toxicity. I include aspirin here,” note Mr. Le Lorier.

Many natural products are considered foods, and thus escape the regulatory requirements imposed on drugs. “One of the arguments made by manufacturers of natural products is that, given the wide distribution of these products, accidents are extremely rare,” Mr. Le Lorier admits. But is this really the case? Or is it because we have not been able to establish a causal link between a degeneration or intoxication and repeated use of these substances? We don’t know, because there is no research. “To do studies, you have to have data, you have to know who is taking the products. They are sold without prescription. So there is no control,” the researcher laments. According to La Presse, 70% of people who use natural supplements do not tell their doctor… encouraged by sellers of natural products who advise people to keep it a secret!

The researcher does not see why natural products should be classified separately, as the producers want. If they can’t be removed from unrestricted sale, as has been done in Europe, Mr. Le Lorier recommends “asking a pharmacist’s advice about the non-prescription drugs you buy—each and every time!”

Researcher: Jacques Le Lorier
Telephone: (514) 890-8000 ext. 2918