Don't wait to take ephedra supplements off shelves

As the number of deaths and other catastrophic reactions associated with use of the so-called herbal supplement ephedra continues to rise, health advocates have been calling on the Food and Drug Administration to ban the product. But rather than even putting warning labels on the over-the-counter product, the Bush administration is ordering instead a start-from-scratch safety review of the herb. That's a mistake.
Current federal law forbids most regulation of dietary supplements unless the FDA proves danger. In other words, get sick or die first, ask questions later, the reverse of the requirement of products marketed as drugs. Delaying the removal of ephedra from store shelves will certainly give the supplement industry a chance to expand its bottom line, but it does nothing for consumers.
In a society that does not readily accept the notion of imperfection, the very idea that there are "natural" products that can enhance performance of all kinds, ensure beauty or guarantee health has been more than welcomed. And the words "natural" or "herbal," as some of the current versions of snake oil are described, seem to convey the image of safety, as if Mother Nature would not fool Earth's inhabitants, as if taking a capsule of this or a teaspoon of that is like brewing a cup of tea from your garden's mint or chopping home-grown chives onto a baked potato.
But mint tea hasn't been linked to heart attacks, nor chives with strokes. Ephedra, on the other hand, particularly in conjunction with caffeine, has been associated with cardiac arrest, sudden death, seizures, strokes and hypertension.
Billions sold
Of course, manufacturers of products containing ephedra argue that the more than 1,200 complaints are not really worth worrying over considering the 2 billion to 3 billion doses of the supplement that are taken each year.
The same could also be said about many prescription medicines and even over-the-counter medicines whose sales the FDA does oversee. But they are strictly regulated and the promises, claims and effects of the drugs are closely monitored.
But herbal supplements don't have to be proved safe or effective, and there is no assurance that the herbal product is what it says it is on the label. The 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act allowed supplements to be sold to consumers of any age without rigorous safety testing and without meaningful oversight of product quality.
A survey based on Federal Election Commission records, compiled for U.S. News and World Report, found that contributions to candidates, parties and political action groups from nutritional companies and their executives over the years 1995-2000 exceeded $10.9 million -- certainly a guarantee of having your concerns heard, and acted on. Simply letting the buyer beware, as the current law requires, provides consumers inadequate protection from the dangers that are increasingly reported from the vast array of supplements on the market. It would be far better to err on the side of safety, by taking ephedra off store shelves and the Internet until it can be shown to be safe.