In the past, I have experimented with a handful of herbal supplements. Most of the ones I have tried were of little to no value to me but I kept taking them on three premises. Firstly, there are a lot of “influencers” endorsing them. Secondly, there is a lot of legitimate research on many of these molecules. Thirdly, they are natural and therefore there is little risk to them. (Hint: Only one of these is true.)
As I did more research, I decided to ditch herbs altogether because:
- For pretty much every herbal I had tried, I was not sure about whether “I feel something” or not (despite the raving online reviews about how “X CHANGED MY LIFE!!”). I am not a fan of the guessing game about whether a supplement is doing something or not.
- In contrast to pharmaceutical drugs, most herbal supplements contain a large number of different bioactive molecules, each of which may interact with a variety of different target proteins (“dirty pharmacology”). Therefore, it is hard to figure out how exactly they work (or whether they work at all). Due to the low potency and selectivity of the many different molecules found in herbs (“dirty pharmacology”), there are potentially countless off-target effects. I prefer potent & precise (i.e., pharmaceuticals) over impotent & vague (i.e., herbs).
- I do not have any data on their long-term effects, particularly on the liver and kidneys.
- I dislike the fact that herbs are prone to messing up the Cytochrome P450 enzyme system. In fact, this is what this enzyme system has evolved for – taking out various potentially toxic molecules found in the countless different plants my ancestors ate.
- There is little regulatory oversight (safety; potency; dosage; purity) and I hate playing roulette with manufacturers. In fact, recent research suggests that over 50% of supplement products do not contain the amount that is suggested on the label – usually, they are vastly underdosed.
Because I had decided to go down that route already, namely trying to alter my biochemistry with the introduction of a foreign molecule, from an “ethical” perspective the argument was already settled. Thus, I decided to swap out the unregulated, erratic, ineffective, and inconsistent, for molecules with no guessing game as to these unknowns.
Furthermore, I do not share my mum’s opinion that everything that is “natural” is good, and everything that is “synthetic” is bad. The cellular signaling networks within my body’s cells could not care less whether nature or laboratory ingenuity (or serendipity) designed a molecule. In fact, the most toxic molecules known to mankind are all “natural” (e.g., ricin, botulinum toxin, etc.).
I now believe that whatever good I can have from herbs, I can also have more effectively and safely from single molecules that are targeted in their action, unfortunately, most of which are only available by prescription. Furthermore, unlike herbal supplements, most pharmaceutical drugs are safe for the liver and kidney – or at least I know exactly which ones are and which ones are not.
“But, what about all of the studies published on herbal extract KCZS%!$6737?” Most of the “research” on herbals (or their intentionally scientifically sounding extracts) is of such poor methodological quality that no serious journal would ever publish it. But that is no problem. “Researchers” can just pay a couple of 1000$ to skip the peer-review process and publish their garbage in one of the many open-access journals.
People then think it is published and available on PubMed so it must be true. Unfortunately, funding and publishing questionable scientific papers has become the latest marketing strategy. While herbal supplements are not a scam per se, some of the science and marketing that is associated with them approach scam territory.
And it is an incredibly lucrative scam. There are countless “start-ups” that buy their raw ingredients from China (usually from the same small number of white-label companies), create a nice label and an impressive website, and sell their “innovative” product by frantically trying to game the Amazon algorithm – often making them millions.
There may be good herbal supplements and companies out there. Regardless, for me, the small benefit is not worth the money, risk, and mental unease.
In summary, I do not use any herbal supplements because they are mostly worthless (and sometimes outright harmful).
“But what about IC50 values?” The published values of most herbals are usually so low that they are pharmacologically irrelevant in “real life”.
Some herbal supplements do work. Some of these are laced with something else. For example, protein powders are known to be laced with microdoses of orally bioavailable anabolic steroids, “herbal” appetite suppressants with sibutramine, and “natural” testosterone boosters with tadalafil. Unfortunately, most companies get away with it.
Subscribe to the Desmolysium newsletter and get access to three exclusive articles!
A note on manufacturers
Herbal extracts present a much higher risk of being inaccurately labeled or even completely fake compared to standard vitamins and minerals. Why? Creating standardized herbal extracts requires sophisticated tools, laboratories, and procedures that are identical to those used in pharmaceutical manufacturing. The process of extracting specific phytochemicals from raw plant material is complex and requires a high level of expertise and precision.
Pretty much no supplement company has the necessary infrastructure or expertise to produce high-quality herbal extracts by themselves. So where do they get it? Usually from wholesale distributors from China, which may or may not be of decent quality.
Thoughts on “white powders from the internet”
Some “biohackers” are not satisfied with impotent herbal supplements and look for something more “powerful”. After “doing their research” they finally arrive at racetams, bromantane, or whatever else is promulgated across the quack-o-sphere.
However, nobody knows much about their mechanism, and more importantly, their safety. Obscure studies from Eastern Europe and Russia do not count. Furthermore, dosage, purity, and quality are all not controlled for. So, I do not only not know how it works, but I also do not know whether it is what I think it is. Ergo, for me, not worth the risk.
I discuss my experience with racetams here and my thoughts on bromantane here.
Sources & further information
- Anecdotes: Reddit – r/nootropics
- Anecdotes: Reddit – r/supplements
- Scientific article: Liver injury from herbal and dietary supplements
Disclaimer
The content available on this website is based on the author’s individual research, opinions, and personal experiences. It is intended solely for informational and entertainment purposes and does not constitute medical advice. The author does not endorse the use of supplements, pharmaceutical drugs, or hormones without the direct oversight of a qualified physician. People should never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something they have read on the internet.