70% Of All Herbal Supplements In India May Be Fake: Know The Risks!

Thanks to all the alarmist and sensational articles about the dangers of modern medicine, most of us are suspicious of allopathic drugs, but don’t think twice before popping a diet or herbal supplement. Doctors and dietitians have been warning people to be careful about the supplements they buy, but most of us didn’t realize the possible health risks – that was until a recent study showed that we might have more to fear from the daily garcinia cambogia, wheat grass, or Echinacea tablet we take than the occasional OTC tablet for a cold or cough!

India’s Growing Market For Fake Diet & Herbal Supplements

“60-70% of dietary supplements across the country are unregistered, unapproved, fake, & counterfeit”

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and RNCOS conducted a study on dietary and herbal supplements across India. They found that 60-70 percent of dietary supplements are unregistered, unapproved, fake, and counterfeit.

Allopathic drugs face the most stringent quality tests by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), which is the national regulatory body for Indian pharmaceuticals; however, dietary and herbal supplements do not come under their purview and it was only in 2015 that the food safety regulator FSSAI came up with quality and safety norms to regulate these nutraceuticals.

Herbal and dietary supplements have been growing in popularity especially among Indian millennials. Surveys show that approximately 78 percent of adolescents in urban India consume some form of dietary supplement on a daily basis.

The Health Risks Of Fake Diet & Herbal Supplements

“Heavy metals such as lead, mercury, & arsenic in fake supplements can cause organ damage, but often don’t cause any noticeable symptoms for years”

Herbal supplements currently account for 30 percent of the market, while the market for dietary supplements in India is over 2 billion dollars and expected to hit the 4 billion mark by 2020. Surveys show people take herbal and dietary supplements to improve their immunity and their physical appearance and they assume that these supplements are safe and harmless.

A raid on a factory manufacturing “dietary supplements” illegally provides insight on what your supplement might actually contain – starch, milk powder, custard powder, and steroids. The danger from fake diet and herbal supplements lies in the fillers that are used. Fake products often contain ingredients that are not listed and can cause adverse reactions.

Many fake supplements contain contaminants like lead, mercury, and arsenic. These heavy metals have been linked to a variety of serious health problems and they can have a lasting impact on your health. While it can take years for these supplements to affect you, there have also been reported cases where people took “ayurvedic” supplements and within months suffered severe renal failure and died!

Our Take

It may be unpleasant but it’s time to face the facts – as 60-70 percent of dietary and herbal supplements in India are fake, it’s more than likely that the capsules you take will be doing more good than harm. Remember, this is one time when the odds are just not in your favor!