We should plant our herbs!

 

The New York State attorney general’s office accused four major retailers on Monday of selling fraudulent and potentially dangerous herbal supplements and demanded that they remove the products from their shelves.

The authorities said they had conducted tests on top-selling store brands of herbal supplements at four national retailers — GNC, Target, Walgreens and Walmart — and found that four out of five of the products did not contain any of the herbs on their labels. The tests showed that pills labeled medicinal herbs often contained little more than cheap fillers like powdered rice, asparagus and houseplants, and in some cases substances that could be dangerous to those with allergies.

The investigation came as a welcome surprise to health experts who have long complained about the quality and safety of dietary supplements, which are exempt from the strict regulatory oversight applied to prescription drugs.

The Food and Drug Administration has targeted individual supplements found to contain dangerous ingredients. But the announcement Monday was the first time that a law enforcement agency had threatened the biggest retail and drugstore chains with legal action for selling what it said were deliberately misleading herbal products.

Among the attorney general’s findings was a popular store brand of ginseng pills at Walgreens, promoted for “physical endurance and vitality,” that contained only powdered garlic and rice. At Walmart, the authorities found that its ginkgo biloba, a Chinese plant promoted as a memory enhancer, contained little more than powdered radish, houseplants and wheat — despite a claim on the label that the product was wheat- and gluten-free.

Three out of six herbal products at Target — ginkgo biloba, St. John’s wort and valerian root, a sleep aid — tested negative for the herbs on their labels. But they did contain powdered rice, beans, peas and wild carrots. And at GNC, the agency said, it found pills with unlisted ingredients used as fillers, like powdered legumes, the class of plants that includes peanuts and soybeans, a hazard for people with allergies.

The attorney general sent the four retailers cease-and-desist letters on Monday and demanded that they explain what procedures they use to verify the ingredients in their supplements.

Organic Lemon Grass and Pandan Leaf Tea

“Let food be your medicine.” Hippocrates

I tried lemon grass – pandan leaf tea for the first time in Thailand, where its health benefits is a public knowledge and they serve it in their restaurants. If you travel to South East Asia, you will see about three feet tall lemon grass bushes along the roads or in the fields and you wonder what these bushes are good for. When you squeeze a peice of its leaf, a wonderful aroma of lemon makes the name of the bush sounds legidimate. No wonder that lemon grass essential oil is used for aromatherapy for refreshing, cooling, toning, and blood circulating. In Thailand I saw two different kind of lemon grass, one yellowish light green and the other green green. The green lemon grass is used in Asian cuisine and beverages and the light green is used for insect repellant and cosmetic products. There are also lemon grasses that are white or red. However, the green and eatable lemon grass has a lot of health benefits and is used as tea, or in soups, stir fries, and sweets. The part that is used for food is the white stem from the ground till the bottom of the leaves. You can chopp and dry them or use them fresh. It has medicinal compounds, antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti fungal agents, which makes wound healing faster. It is a good source of vitamine A, B, C, iron, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, manganese, zinc, and copper. Lemon grass is anticholestrol, diuretic, and has cleansing qualities. Therefore it reduces water retention and edema. Being an anticancer, lemon grass fights with cancer cells in skin and liver. It also fights with Lyme disease. Lemon grass is good for a vast gasterointestinal probles and helps your digestion system. It fights obesity, specially the tummy fat. Through calming muscles and nerves, lemon grass can reduce headaches, anxiety, fatigue, and induce a deep and restful sleep. It fights with cold and cough and respiratory problems. It helps type-2 diabetese by optimizing insulin and its anti-inflammatory properties help rheumatism. Boosting the immune system is another property that should be mentioned. Since lemon grass products have cleansing, antiseptic, and toning qualities, they are very helful for treating acne and oily skin. Of course like anything else, some people can have allergy to this wonderful plant.

Pandan leaf, which also is a tropical bush and has thicker and wider leaves, shares some of the health benefits of lemongrass such as, skin health, anti cancer, antiseptic, cooling and anti fever and anti pain qualities. It also helps to have a healthier heart and chewing it fresh helps to have a healthy gum. Pandan leaf is vastly used in sweets for its beautiful green color and unique refreshing flavor. Thai ladies make bunches of roses from these flexible leaves. A friend showed me how to make them and the roses you see in the picture are the ones I made 🙂

“Let’s always eat and drink healthful food and beverages and do it in moderation.” Dr. Sii