Most surprising findings in brief. How we got into this mess. A quality control nightmare. Herbal folk myths are exposed. Dangerous botanical products.
Hormones top the list of risks.
Inside the FDA's enforcement program. Varro Tyler's top target is one of the most popular herbal remedies for three decades, comfrey. It is used as a poultice for wounds, and taken tea or a blended plant extract for a wide variety of ailments. Comfrey contains allantoin, an agent that promotes cell growth and therefore may promote cancer, and is also rich in toxic alkaloids that damage the liver. Comfrey is now banned in most industrialized countries-but not the United States, Tyler notes.