| Botanicals have been widely used throughout the world as traditional medicines. Today, several of these botanicals are sold as nutritional or dietary supplements. However, very little scientific research has been done to authenticate the safety and efficacy of these supplements. In this study, we have analyzed over the counter (OTC) supplements such as echinacea, garlic, ginkgo, ginseng, grape seed, kava kava, saw palmetto and St. John's wort for their safety and efficacy. As part of the safety evaluation of these supplements, they were analyzed for the presence of metals by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results indicated that these supplements did not contain unacceptable concentrations of lead, cadmium, arsenic, uranium, chromium, vanadium, copper, zinc, molybdenum, palladium, tin, antimony, thallium, and tungsten. In addition, analysis for the presence of microorganisms indicated that some of the supplements studied were contaminated with bacteria and fungi. The product claims for most of the supplements suggested that they possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The lipid peroxidation and cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes inhibitory assays conducted on the extracts prepared from the supplements studied revealed that most supplements possessed antioxidant activities. Some of the supplements demonstrated selective COX-1 or COX-2 enzyme inhibitory activities. Therefore, the supplements studied might be useful to prevent or treat inflammatory pain and health problems related to oxidative stress. |
