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• The correct dosage
• The correct mode of delivery (capsule, liquid extract, standardized extract, tea etc.)
• The correct mode of administration (topically, internally etc)
• The correct herbs are used (ensuring that the herbs used are properly identified and confirmed to be the correct species and genius, and even the correct part of the herb eg root, leaf , seed etc. These are all important factors to the effectiveness of the medicine)
• Ensuring that there is no herb – drug interaction
• Ensuring that there is no contra indications

It should be noted however that herbal medicines are loosely regulated and for this reason there are herbal preparations on the market that range from ineffective to poor quality and in the case of adulteration, can be dangerous.

The product mentioned above, branded as Fortodol or Leppin Miradin, was an anti-inflammatory and is not available for sale in the republic as far as I know but the warning was initiated as a precautionary measure in case it was purchased in the north. The products in question are made by a Californian company called Donsbach, which exports the products to Sweden before they are shipped throughout Europe. The herb in this supplement was Tumeric which has proven anti-inflammatory actions but unfortunately, an unscrupulous Mexican supplier may have contaminated the raw material used for the particular brands mentioned above with an anti-inflammatory drug called nimesulide, and hence the side effects of liver damage etc.

So here is the thing, there is a lot of pharmaceutical drugs that are out of patent, so now have become very cheap to produce and there has been cases in the past where the manufacturer of herbal products (generally in China) adulterated the product with a cheap pharmaceutical (valium or steroid etc) possibly increasing its effectiveness but also its possible toxicity. It can be highly dangerous if one mixes prescribed pharmaceutical drugs with other non-prescribed drugs that have a known interaction, so obviously if one is mixing them without knowing it, it can lead to undesirable side effects like the ones we see for the product in question. This can be extended to herbal medicines too.

For this reason one should only use herbs from a reputable source. My personal advice is that if one wishes to use herbal medicines for the treatment of a condition or to maintain health, they should do so under the guidance of a qualified Medical Herbalist from the Irish Institute of Medical Herbalists. I make this recommendation for the following reasons because Medical herbalists:

• Have been researching the pharmacology of plant medicines for many years
• Will always source the finest quality, effective herbal medicines (sourced from qualified growers of herbal medicines, in their required native or controlled environment)
• Are fully trained to identify which herbs interact with prescription medication and use other appropriate herbal medicines that won’t interact with a person’s medications
• Stay current with the emerging scientific literature regarding herbal medicines
• Know when a person should be referred to their GP if they require further medical investigation

Again I reiterate herbal medicines when use correctly can have a profound benefit on health.

Gabriel is a qualified medical herbalist practicing in Sligo. If you have any queries you may contact him on 0719122832

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