Dietary Supplements |
Herbal Sleep Supplements Fail Tests |
| CONSUMERLAB.COM FINDS SEVERAL HERBAL SLEEP SUPPLEMENTS FAIL TESTS FOR QUALITY |
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| ConsumerLab.com announced today that five valerian dietary supplements failed to pass recent testing due to low potency and/or contamination. Valerian, an herbal sleep aid, accounted for $47 million in sales in the U.S. in 2002, according to Nutrition Business Journal. Four products were found to contain only 20% to 40% of key compounds expected in valerian and one these was contaminated with lead. A fifth product was contaminated with cadmium, a heavy metal that is toxic to the kidneys. These results were confirmed in a second independent laboratory. “Problems with valerian supplements are not new,” said Tod Cooperman, M.D., President of ConsumerLab.com. “In 2001, we found similar problems. If you use valerian, choosing a product that passed the testing should improve your odds of it being effective while avoiding impurities." The complete report is available at www.consumerlab.com/results/valerian.asp. The report includes results for 13 products -- eight that passed and five that failed. Five of the products listed were tested at the request of their manufacturers through ConsumerLab.com's Voluntary Certification Program. The report also provides extensive information on using valerian and an article about clinical trials conducted with valerian. |
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