What is this site?
List of Topics
Kids
Famous people
Scientific studies
FAQ
Resources
Contact
Subscribe
What's the harm in herbal remedies?
Herbal remedies are everywhere these days, often promoted as safe alternatives to prescription medicines. However, many are not manufactured consistently and can have severe side effects on the body. Read more about herbal remedies
Here are 100,269 people who were harmed by someone not thinking critically.
Lorie AtikianAge: 17 months |
Died (malnutrition, pneumonia) |
| Lorie's parents, concerned about modern food additives, were advised to give her an organic vegetarian diet. She was also treated with herbal & homeopathic remedies and an energy machine. Her parents were convicted of neglect. Read More | |
Steve Bechler (athlete)Age: 23 |
Died |
| He was trying to lose some weight during Orioles spring training, using a supplement that contained the Chinese herbal remedy ephedra. He collapsed from multiple organ failure in the heat and died. The FDA banned ephedra a year later. Read More & More | |
Debbie BensonAge: 55 |
Died (cancer) |
| She had a deep distrust of traditional medicine, so she sought out naturopaths and other alternative practitioners for her breast cancer. It raged out of control and she died. Read More | |
Boonreung BuachanAge: 34 |
Died of untreated snakebite |
| A well known snake handler, he was bit during a show. He took a herbal remedy for snakebite and proceeded. The show went on until paralysis set in, and he died later at a hospital. Read More & More | |
Tawnya CummiskeyLaguna Niguel, California |
Harrassed, bullied |
| When Tawnya's doctor prescribed some herbal supplements from a certain company, little did she know he was signing her up to be a representative. It became clear this was an MLM scam, but the doctor kept pressuring her. Read More | |
Brittney DorcyAge: 2 |
Murdered by her mother |
| Brittney's mom suffered from severe depression. Her medical treatment for this was very successful and lauded in a local news article. But she decided to discontinue medication and treat herself with St. John's Wort. A tragedy resulted. Read More & More | |
Jessica DorcyAge: 4 |
Murdered by her mother |
| Jessica's mom suffered from severe depression. Her medical treatment for this was very successful and lauded in a local news article. But she decided to discontinue medication and treat herself with St. John's Wort. A tragedy resulted. Read More & More | |
Tyrell DueckAge: 13 |
Died (cancer) |
| He got bone cancer in his leg, but rejected amputation and chemotherapy. Instead he sought alternative and herbal therapy in Mexico. The Saskatchewan government sued to force conventional treatment. The cancer spread and he died. Read More & More | |
Linda EppingAge: 8 |
Died |
| Linda was scheduled for surgery to remove a tumor, when her parents met a chiropractor who said he could cure her. He had her swallowing up to 124 pills a day for months. He was convicted of second-degree murder in 1967. Read More | |
Norman FerrieAge: 64 |
Died (liver failure) |
| Norman suffered from arthritis, and decided to take an herbal remedy (glucosamine) to ease his pain. Only 2 months after starting, he died of a severe allergic reaction. Read More | |
David FlintCalifornia |
Died (untreated leukemia) |
| David sought out ayurvedic treatments from (among others) Deepak Chopra. At one point he was told his leukemia was gone. It was not. David died four months later, and a lawsuit was filed in July 1995. Read More & More | |
G. FowdenSandy, Utah |
Died |
| A lifelong believer in natural cures, she shunned conventional medicine. When she got sick she saw nearly every form of alternative practitioner. When she finally allowed herself to be taken to a hospital, it was far too late to help. Read More | |
Dale & Susan FoxArizona |
Thousands of dollars in debt |
| Multi-level marketing for herbal remedies Read More | |
Anita GergaskoAge: 58 |
Died (cancer) |
| She refused chemotherapy for her breast cancer, instead choosing massive doses of vitamin C and herbs. The cancer spread. On her deathbed she made her husband promise that he would not allow any of her family or friends to make the same mistake. Read More | |
Petra HallAge: 54 |
Died |
| An osteopath injected Petra with herbal tea to treat her leukemia. Later that day she was in a hospital with multiple organ failure. She died 11 days later. The osteopath was fined and got five years of probation. Read More & More | |
Betty HarlanAge: 76 |
Died |
| Betty had multiple chronic health problems including diabetes. Seeking treatment for a leg ulcer, she went to a wellness center run by a naturopath. Her daugher feared she stopped taking her conventional medicine. Read More | |
Helena Rose "Rosie" KolitwenzewAge: 8 |
Died (untreated diabetes) |
| A naturopath convinced her mother to stop administering insulin to her, in favor of herbal remedies. She began vomiting, and died. It turns out his "degrees" were fake. He was sentenced to prison. Read More & More & More | |
Mitchell James LittleAge: 18 days |
Died (untreated heart defect) |
| A naturopath perscribed herbal remedies & energy machine treatments for a congenital heart defect, and advised against surgery. The baby died, and the naturopath was sentenced to five years in jail. Read More & More | |
Nong Thi Loi & her familyAge: 63 & 37 to 47 |
6 people dead, one sickened |
| After she became sick from drinking wine laced with herbal plants, her family held an exorcism to cure her. The rest of the family drank the wine and died. She might have mistaken a poisonous herb for a safe one. Read More & More | |
Rhea McAllisterAge: 35 |
Stroke |
| She took a diet supplement containing herbal ingredients including ephedra. She suffered a stroke which has caused ongoing neurological problems. A court awarded her $7.4 Million, and ephedra was banned two years later. Read More | |
Caleb MoorheadAge: 6 months |
Died (malnutrition) |
| Calebs parents, devout Seventh-Day Adventists, tried to feed him using a vegan diet and herbal remedies. He died of a Vitamin B12 deficiency. His parents were sentenced to five years in jail. Read More & More | |
Sedef OlcerAge: 46 |
Died (digitalis poisoning) |
| A raw foods purist, she believed that any cooking ruined food. She picked what she was thought was mullein (an herb for sore throats) and put it in a smoothie. It was actually foxglove, and she died from the poison in it. Read More & More | |
Charles PaynterAge: 68 |
Hospitalized with kidney failure |
| He saw a chiropractor for help with his back pain. He was treated with heat, herbs, tonics and homeopathy. Three days after his last treatment, he was rushed to a hospital and barely recovered. A judgment for $147,500 was awarded by a court. Read More | |
Rosanna PorrasAge: 15 |
Died |
| Rosanna dropped dead at soccer practice after taking an herbal product containing ephedra. Her parents received a $25,000 settlement. Years later, the substance was banned. Read More | |
Peter SchlendorfAge: 20 |
Died |
| While on spring break with his friends, he took an herbal supplement called Ultimate Xphoria, which contained ephedra. Outrage over his death eventually led to bans on ephedra. His family sued the manufacturer and received $2.5 million. Read More & More | |
Truong Phuc DoAge: 47 |
Hospitalized with swelling and fever |
| He was taking a prescribed medicine for an illness, but adding an over-the-counter painkiller caused a reaction. When he took three packages of medicinal herbs recommended by a friend, he had to be hospitalized. Read More | |
Veronica Vincent & her motherAge: 50, 65 |
Died & poisoned |
| Four children (ages 6 to 8) accused them of witchcraft. An angry mob forced them to visit a witchdoctor. He administered an herbal remedy to Veronica, which caused her death. He was arrested. Read More | |
Ling "Carrie" WangAge: 25 |
Died (liver & organ failure) |
| To treat a stomach upset and skin rash, a PhD student took a traditional Chinese herbal remedy called Jin Bu Huan. She fell into a coma and died. An inquest determined that her liver and organ failure must have been caused by the remedy. Read More & More | |
10 liver transplant patientsAge: 21 - 56 |
Liver failure |
| In this study, half of the 20 liver transplant patients studied had taken herbal or dietary supplements that have known toxic effects to the liver. In seven cases, there was no other identifiable cause of liver failure. Read More | |
100 Belgian patientsBelgium |
Kidney failure |
| The FDA researched 100 cases of patients who had taken an herbal remedy as a "slimming regimen" and contracted kidney disease as a result. Other cases were found in England and France. Read More | |
2 women in IowaAge: 48, 59 |
Hospitalization / death |
| A case report of two women who were consuming Kombucha tea and had to be hospitalized. One died, the other survived. Another case involving a man is also known. Read More & More | |
24 cases of liver damageGermany |
Death, liver damage, liver transplants |
| One person died, two required liver transplants and 21 others suffered illness after using the herbal remedy kava kava, often prescribed for anxiety or stress. The German regulatory agency issued a warning and planned to ban the substance. Read More | |
6 New York menAge: 35 |
Died / injured |
| Several men have died (and one was injured) by consuming a Chinese herbal remedy alleged to be an aphrodisiac. It is banned by the FDA but still available in some places. Read More | |
"Baby A."Age: Newborn |
Brain damage |
| New age midwife & herbal remedies Read More | |
"John Doe"Age: 66 |
Paid $24,000 for therapy, Died |
| Seeking a cure for cancer, he paid thousands for a range of blood tests and herbal remedies. Authorities later denounced the practitioner as a quack in a report. Read More | |
"John Doe"Age: 37 |
Post-op bleeding |
| After surgery to remove a tumor, two additional operations were required to deal with unexpected bleeding. Later it was discovered the patient drank ginseng tea daily for its herbal effects. Ginseng has a known anti-coagulant effect on blood. Read More | |
"John Doe"Age: 32 |
Died (liver failure) |
| This case report is of a man who took a Chinese herbal remedy called "eternal life". Within five weeks he was gravely ill. His liver had failed and no other cause of that could be found. Read More | |
"Noluthando"Bellville, Cape Town, South Africa |
Died |
| Diagnosed with HIV in 2002, she was was on a waiting list for antiretrovirals. She started taking an alternative treatment, and in three days she could not even walk. Soon she was dead. Read More | |
"Ntombekhaya"Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa |
Died |
| HIV positive, she was being treated for TB when someone offering alternative remedies contacted her. She stopped taking her TB medicines and later died. Read More | |
"Patient X"Cape Town, South Africa |
Died |
| He was being treated by a quack when his disease got out of control and he was hospitalized. He never had a chance to beat AIDS because of the time he wasted on the treatments. Read More | |
"Jane Roe"Age: 73 |
Acute hepatitis |
| Herbal remedy (aloe vera) Read More | |
"Jane Roe"Age: 57 |
Acute hepatitis |
| Herbal remedy (aloe vera) Read More | |
"Jane Roe"Age: 54 |
Arsenic poisoning |
| Herbal remedy (kelp) Read More | |
"Jane Roe"Age: 56 |
Died (liver failure) |
| A naturopath prescribed an herbal anti-anxiety pill containing kava. She later suffered fatigue, nausea and jaundice and went to the hospital. Her liver failed five days later and she had an emergency transplant, but died. Read More | |
thousands of Airborne customersBonita Springs, Florida |
Misled that it could cure colds |
| Airborne is based on Chinese herbal remedies and large doses of vitamins. The box claimed it could cure a cold based on a study that was discovered to be bogus. A lawsuit awarded $23.3M to defrauded customers. The product is still on the shelves. Read More & More | |