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Products We Do Not Sell and Why
The following is a list of products for which we frequently receive requests. Although we do not carry these products, the requests are numerous enough that we have compiled this list to explain why we do not carry them. Some are dangerous, some are just a waste of (your) money, and others are harvested in a manner that is damaging to our environment.
Ultimately, the choices you make about your health have to be your own decisions, and we have no role in telling you what you should or should not use. However, as you read this list, remind yourself that if we did carry them, we would make money on their sale. We have chosen not to carry them, at the expense of profits. We cannot promote, in good conscience, products that research indicates are harmful. And as a socially responsible company, we will not sell products that needlessly destroy the environment.
Product Name
Why We Do Not Sell It
Alternatives
"Andro" Androstenedione
"Andro", or Androstenedione, is an androgen, which is a steroid hormone. Mark McGwire's use of this supplement has dramatically increased its popularity, especially among children who idolize sport stars. Recent (June 1999) research has shown that it is ineffective in increasing muscle power, and promotes the development of breasts in men. On April 11, 2004 the USFDA banned the sale of this product citing that it poses significant health risks. We have never sold this product.
Bitter orange is commonly used as a weight loss agent. It contains a powerful stimulant called synephrine that is quite similar to ephedrine. Like ephedrine, serious health risks (ischema, stroke and other heart issues) may arise from improper use.
Blue Cohosh also known as: Papoose root, squawroot
Unlike Black Cohosh, the unrelated herb Blue Cohosh has a long list of side effects, and is not considered "safe" by the German Commission E. Studies have found that blue cohosh produces numerous birth defects in animals, making especially risky for women of childbearing age. We have never sold this product.
Commonly used as a calmative, Chamomile makes for a pleasant herbal tea, but it is not truly medicinal.
If you want to relax, you can do no better than Kava Kava; or if you want help sleeping, visit our Sleep Support category.
Ephedra / Ma-huang
Known as both "Ephedra" and "Ma Huang", this plant contains ephedrine, which in large amounts can produce amphetamine-like side effects, including hypertension, insomnia, dry mouth, heart palpitations, and nervousness. Ephedra has received positive monographs from the German Commission E, the World Health Organization and the European Scientific Cooperative for Phytotherapy. The US General Accounting Office released a report in July 1999 challenging new FDA proposed regulations for ephedra on the grounds that FDA acted unscientifically in determining that this herb is unsafe. Unfortunately, this herb has become the "whipping boy" in the debate between those who claim that our industry is unregulated and those who are aware that it is very well regulated. Claims of its dangers have been greatly exaggerated and simply pale beside the over 100,000 deaths each year due to reactions to the so-called "ethical" pharmaceuticals. We have never offered this product, while there may be reasonable applications for its use, in sensible quantities, an abundance of caution should be exercised if used. Due to these known risks we chose not to offer it to our customers and recommended they avoid using ephedra. In 2004, the USFDA prohibited the sale of ephedrine alkaloids for uses other than the treatment of asthma, colds, allergies, other disease, or use in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Hydroxycitric Acid, sometimes written as Hydroxy Citric Acid or HCA, has been a popular weight loss product for the better part of a decade. In studies on mice, HCA does seem to reduce the amount of carbohydrates that are stored as fat, and it does seem to promote weight loss. The studies on humans have not been as clear; its effectiveness remains questionable at best. Our real concern is that in the studies on mice, the mice suffered from testicular atrophy and other toxicities. There are no long-term studies to indicate its safety in humans. At this time we choose not to sell HCA; should studies prove its safety, we will reconsider carrying this ingredient.
Red Yeast Rice Extract is an interesting product in the dietary supplement industry because of several legal cases regarding its sale. It is the extract of a dark red rice that has been fermented with the mold Monascus purpureus, which produces the natural statin drug mevinolin, also known as lovastatin. StandardizedUnstandardized Red Yeast Rice Extract does appear to be legal (currently), but because it is unstandardized, it is unwise to take since you will not know how much of the statin drug you will be getting. This can be particularly dangerous with statin drugs. Also currently legal is Red Yeast Rice Extract fermented with a different mold strain which does not produce mevinolin; again, taking this is dangerous since you don't know what you are getting. So in summary, we cannot sell standardized mevinolin-producing Red Yeast Rice Extract, and we will not sell unstandardizednon-mevinolin strains. Red Yeast Rice Extract is illegal in the U.S. because the FDA considers it a drug that has not been through proper clinical trails. The logic of this decision is not consistent, which makes it confusing to understand, but here goes: because standardized Red Yeast Rice Extract is identical to an approved prescription drug, it can only be sold under a prescription, BUT it has not been approved as a prescription drug (even though its identical twin has) and thus cannot be sold even with a prescription. Red Yeast Rice Extract, or the
The only thing shark cartilage has been proven good for is sharks. We like sharks better than swallowing useless supplements, so we refuse to participate in the destruction of shark species. Sharks do in fact get cancer. Referring to a report at the April 5, 2000, meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, Johns Hopkins University biologist John Coffey said, "This is good science that shows us that sharks can get cancer. I don't think there is any benefit to buying shark cartilage and eating it, any more than I think that eating a rabbit will make me run faster." See our Health News for more recent research on this.
Sharks do not get arthritis because the do not have any bones, and thus do not have any joints. They are cartilaginous fish, meaning their entire skeleton is made up of cartilage, not bones.
We do not sell shark cartilage. The shark cartilage industry is destroying shark populations worldwide. Sharks, like all top predators, are a crucial part of the marine ecosystem.
Commercial supplies are wild-harvested from the rainforests of Peru and Brazil. Current harvest rates are unsustainable, and devastating to the local areas. We are unable to find a supplier who can document (or even verbally assure us) that their Uña del Gato is harvested in an environmentally sustainable manner. Consequently, we have never sold this product.
Vinpocetine is a synthetic derivative of the alkaloid of apovincamine, a compound that naturally occurs in Vinca minor, the periwinkle plant. It is sold as prescription drug under the brand name Cavinton in Germany and much of Eastern Europe. Taken orally, vinpocetine is used as a neuroprotector and to increase circulation to the brain. While the clinical research has been largely positive, in our opinion safety studies have been lacking. Few randomized, double-blind, clinical trials have been published. This is particularly troubling given the risk of side effects and drug interaction is relatively high. Reported side-effects include gastric discomfort, nausea, vertigo, anxiety, facial flushing, sleep disturbances and headaches. The German Commission E has raised some concern that it may reduce immune function. At this time, we are not convinced of its safety and therefore have decided not to sell any products with vinpocetine. If better safety studies become available, we may reconsider carrying this product.
Although "wildcrafted" sounds nice, what it really means is "stolen from public lands in an unregulated manner." Here's how wild crafting works: a team of pickers goes to federal (public) land, finds the plant they are looking for, and picks as much as it can. They don't pay for their harvest, they don't report to anyone what -or how much- they have picked, and most importantly, they don't replant what they have taken. How big of a problem is this? American Ginseng is now virtually extinct in the Appalachian Mountains, and goldenseal is soon to follow, throughout the US. We do not sell wildcrafted plants, and encourage you not to buy them either.
Use products that are farmed in a responsible manner as an agricultural crop.
Yohimbe / Yohimbine
Although there is little question among serious scientists about this product's efficacy in promoting the male libido, the list of possible (and quite serious) side effects is quite extensive. There are better ways at addressing this health problem, and we recommend Veromax and ViriLife as safe and effective alternatives, based on Nobel Prize-winning science. We have never sold Yohimbe or Yohimbine.
This website and these statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please consult a properly trained medical practitioner for medical advice.
