There are many natural herb supplements that can be beneficial for your health. Natural and raw herbs sound like healthy things to put in your body, but just because something sounds healthy doesn’t mean it actually is. Here are three different herbs that have been claimed to be healthy in the past, but have recently been shown to have some negative health impacts.
1) Kava Root
Kava root was once promoted as a stress reliever and a natural remedy for anxiety. Canada issued a stop-sale ban on Kava root back in 2002, which prompted many importers of Kava root to stop sending the herb to Canada. However, in 2012 the ban was lifted and it is now completely legal to buy Kava in Canada. However, as with many other products, just because it’s legal doesn’t mean its healthy. Kava has been shown to increase toxicity in the liver and cause bad times. However, later studies have shown that it was not the kava root itself that caused the toxicity. So at the moment, there is some confusion whether Kava root is bad for your liver or not. So in the end, just be careful if you decide to try it.
2) St. John’s Wort
As appealing as this herb sounds, it is apparently not all that great for you. St. John’s Wort was believed to relieve depression, but it has been discovered that the herb is more likely to relieve you of your health.
St. John’s Wort can mix badly with a variety of other medications. It has been known to react with anti-depressants, anti-blood clotting drugs, some asthma drugs, immune-suppressing medications and steroids. So if you are planning on using your body as a cauldron to mix drugs in, you should plan on leaving St.John’s Wort out of the mix.
3) Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo Biloba has been shown to be moderately effective in improving the mental capacity in dementia patients, and is believed to be beneficial for those trying to improve their memory. However, you might want to avoid Gingko Biloba if you want to avoid some undesirable side effects.
One of these side effects, as described in Wikipedia, sounds particularly wonderful – “Increased risk of bleeding”. The source does not specify that you have to be cut or injured to bleed, so we are just going to assume that if you take Ginkgo Biloba, you might suddenly erupt into a fountain of blood at any given moment. No we are just kidding, but it does have some side effects that may be worth considering before taking the herb.
