When walking down the health and wellness aisle of a store you are probably wondering, or better said hoping, they are all telling the truth. But, the reality today is much different. Apparently, some of the biggest national store chains are selling fake herbal supplements.
Besides containing “cheap fillers” as opposed to herbs, some of them are even mislabeled as gluten-free and wheat-free.
See which these stores and supplements are to avoid buying them in the future.
Stores Which Sell Fake Herbal Supplements
Recently, Walmart, Walgreens, Target, and GNC have been exposed for selling fake, potentially harmful herbal supplements. Instead of good herbal mixtures, these “supplements” have loads of “cheap fillers” in their content, such as:
- Regular House Plants
- Wheat
- Powdered vegetables (garlic, radish, soy, beans, carrots, peas, legumes)
If you’re one of the many Americans who are buying supplements at these stores, you’re definitely not having a healthier diet. This is mostly because many of the filler ingredients in these products are actually common allergens.
Therefore, you might want to avoid these national retailers when it comes to getting your dose of healthy herbal supplements.
The Fake Supplements
1. Target’s Ginkgo Biloba, St John’s Wort, and Valerian Root
Believe it or not, the content of these Target’s “herbal supplements” doesn’t include any herb. Instead, they are packed with carrots, beans, rice, and peas.
2. GNC Herbal Supplements
Some herbal supplements sold at GNC contain harmful allergens such as peanuts and soybeans.
3. Walgreen’s Ginseng Supplements
Shockingly, this supplement contains no ginseng at all, but only powdered garlic and rice.
4. The memory-boosting Ginkgo Biloba from Walmart
Walmart’s Ginkgo Biloba supplement is mostly produced from house plants, wheat, and radishes, even though the company claims to be wheat-free and gluten-free.
Eric Schneiderman, the New York state attorney, demands immediate removal of these fake herbal supplements from the store shelves, saying that false advertising, contamination, and mislabeling are dangerous and illegal.
GNC stood behind the purity and quality of its store brand. Walgreens said these products will be immediately removed from shelves across the nation. Target still hasn’t responded to the cease-and-desist letter issued by Eric Schneiderman, whereas Walmart stated it will take appropriate action.
In the meantime, you better avoid these products to prevent or worsen allergies.
Source Web MD | Active Beat
