What is in your supplement?

The authorities, New York State attorney general, 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.

Ginseng pills at Walgreens, promoted for “physical endurance and vitality,” that contained only powdered garlic and rice

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.

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.

From GNC, Herbal Plus brand:

Gingko Biloba:

• No gingko biloba found
• Did detect allium (garlic), rice, spruce and asparagus

St. John’s Wort

• No St. John’s Wort found
• Did detect allium (garlic), rice and dracaena (a tropical houseplant)

Ginseng

• No ginseng found
• Did detect rice, dracaena, pine, wheat/grass and citrus

Garlic

• Contained garlic

Echinacea

• No echinacea found
• Did detect rice in some samples

Saw Palmetto

• One sample contained the clear presence of palmetto
• Other samples contained a variety of ingredients, including asparagus, rice and primrose

From Target, Up & Up brand

Gingko Biloba

• No gingko biloba found
• Found garlic, rice and mung/French bean

St. John’s Wort

• No St. John’s Wort found
• Found garlic, rice and dracaena (houseplant)

Garlic

• Contained garlic
• One test identified no DNA

Echinacea

• Most but not all tests detected Echinacea
• One test identified rice

Saw Palmetto

• Most tests detected saw palmetto
• Some tests found no plant DNA

Valerian Root

• No valerian root found
• Found allium, bean, asparagus, pea family, rice, wild carrot and saw palmetto

From Walgreens, Finest Nutrition brand

Gingko Biloba

• No gingko biloba found
• Did detect rice

St. John’s Wort

• No St. John’s Wort found
• Detected garlic, rice and dracaena

Ginseng

• No ginseng found
• Detected garlic and rice

Garlic

• No garlic found
• Detected palm, dracaena, wheat and rice

Echinacea

• No echinacea found
• Identified garlic, rice and daisy

Saw Palmetto

• Contained saw palmetto

From Walmart, Spring Valley brand

Gingko Biloba

• No gingko biloba found
• Found rice, dracaena, mustard, wheat and radish

St. John’s Wort

• No St. John’s Wort found
• Detected garlic, rice and cassava

Ginseng

• No ginseng found
• Found rice, dracaena, pine, wheat/grass and citrus

Garlic

• One sample showed small amounts of garlic
• Found rice, pine, palm, dracaena and wheat

Echinacea

• No echinacea or plant material found

Saw Palmetto

• Some samples contained small amounts of saw palmetto
• Also found garlic and rice

Cease and desist Notification
 

NYtimes, what is in those supplement

New York attorney general targets retailers

GNC reaches agreement