A Korean herbal dietary supplement at the centre of a row over an attempt to sell it for nearly 10 times its normal price has not been tested by the US Food and Drug administration.
And researchers have warned that any benefits attributed to such alternative treatments may be all in the mind.
A box of a Korean dietary supplement, Hemohim, which is available for about US$91 from Amazon, plus US$17 shipping to New Zealand, has been offered on Facebook for $TP2000, the equivalent of US$875.
The seller, who calls herself ‘Helen,’ claimed it cost her a lot to order the herbal supplement.
Her attempts have caused outrage, with one commentator comparing her efforts to somebody who trying to raise money to buy an aeroplane.
Hemohim is popular with the Tongan community after it was promoted as being able to cure cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and gout.
However, buried at the bottom of the Amazon page for Hemohim is this disclaimer: “Statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition.”
In other words, the United States department which evaluates and regulates medicine, says it has no proof that Hemohim can do anything that is claimed for it.
No proof
And that’s because in the United states, as long as you call your product a dietary supplement rather than a medicine, you can say pretty much what you like about it.
As American medical researcher Stephen Bents said, herbal concoctions like Hemohim are classified as dietary supplements.
“Manufacturers can therefore produce, sell, and market herbs without first demonstrating safety and efficacy, as is required for pharmaceutical drugs,” Bent said.
“Although herbs are often perceived as ‘natural’ and therefore safe, many different side effects have been reported owing to active ingredients, contaminants, or interactions with drugs.
“Unfortunately, there is limited scientific evidence to establish the safety and efficacy of most herbal products.”
Warning
A New Zealand medical consumer guide warns that in many cases any benefits derived from alternative therapies such as herbal remedies are the result of wishful thinking.
Health Navigator New Zealand said many people thought they were cured because of the placebo effect.
“The placebo effect is a remarkable phenomenon in which a placebo – a fake treatment such a sugar or saline solution – leads to improvement in a person’s condition simply because the person has the expectation that it will be helpful,” pharmacist Sandra Ponen wrote.
“Likewise, when the belief in the value of an alternative therapy is strong, this can account for the success of a treatment even if scientifically it may not be accepted.“
People might get better due to the natural course of an illness and think this was be due to their alternative therapy.
Many illnesses are cyclical and people often sought alternative therapy when symptoms were at their worst. When symptoms improved, this was attributed to the therapy, Ponen wrote.
An alternative therapy might be tried after conventional medical treatment and when symptoms improved, this was attributed to the new therapy rather than the medical treatment.
If the original diagnosis is wrong, claims of a cure were meaningless.
The main points
- A Korean herbal dietary supplement at the centre of a row over an attempt to sell it for nearly 10 times its normal price has not been tested by the US Food and Drug administration.
- And researchers have warned that any benefits attributed to such alternative treatments may be all in the mind.
For more information
Complementary and alternative medicine
Herbal Medicine in the United States: Review of Efficacy, Safety, and Regulation
