Herbal supplements in US commonly have traces of contaminants

First, as I understand them, naturopatic remedies are not an herbal perse and a relative minimal aspect of alternatives.What good is the testing of pharms when every horror all the way to death is allowed, whereas, one or two deaths are attributed to comphrey when some dummie or two overdosed on the root? The pharms are in the pocket of the FDA and the polititions. It's more about $$ and power than safety.Regulation only makes more $$ for the pharms and hassle for folks like me an my family who've never use expensive docs and who don't burden the taxpayers with medicare and gubm't paid healthcare. We know what herbals and suppliments to apply to which ailment. We know what to eat for ultimate health. Still at 75, Buzgirl and I haven't seen a doc in about 40 years, her for childbirth and me once when pharms almost did me in. Most naturals have disclaimer warnings on them with advice to check doc and not to take with pharms etc. Nearly all such remedies advocated in the media also include warnings to check doc first if on other meds etc. That's by law that they can't claim them as cures.Bottom line is that RARE, RARE, RARELY do we hear of a serious illness, side effect or death from the naturals, when, in fact hundreds of thousands die (I SAY DIE) from the pharms yearly. (I SAY YEARLY.), not to mention the millions who have heart attacks and all kinds of serious side effects from the PRESCRIBED drugs.Why should an herbal pill, having the ingredients of a weed or vegie which you can pick in the field need some bureaucratic oversight costing taxpayers millions for the bureaucracy and putting most of the naturals makers and businesses out of business because the big pharms are the only ones who can afford the added expense of producing and marketing? NOT TO MENTION, HAVE WE LOST ALL SENSE OF THE VALUE OF FREEDOM? FREEDOM ENTAILS AN ELEMENT OF RISK. A CAGED UP BIRD IS SAFE BUT NOT FREE. A FREE BIRD MAY NOT BE AS SAFE BUT A HAPPIER BIRD. ALL WE NEED IS A BATCH MORE OF LAWS TO FURTHER ENSLAVE OURSELVES TO TOTALITARIAN BIG GOVERNMENT.

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THE FDA ALREADY HAS THE POWER TO REGUATE HERBALS WHICH THEY DEEM TO POSE A RISK. THAT'S WHY THEY BANNED COMFREY. WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER LAW, THROWING OUT THE BABY WITH WHAT THEY CONSIDER BATHWATER. With the naturals forced out of business and millions more out of work, who will be left as an alternative to big gubm't sanctioned dangerous pharms? We all loose, sheeples for the slaughter.

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BUZSAW B 4 U 2 C Y BUZ SAW.
The immeasurable present eternally extends the infinite past and infinitely consumes the eternal future.

What makes you think so? The reason you don't hear about contaminated or side effects from herbals is because the side effects of herbals are GOOD, that they are, by law required to have expiration dates and that they are not generally prone to spoilage etc. It's not only the conservatives. It's the sensible majority that has some regard for freedom and enough common sense to know how relatively little the risk is. How big and oppressive do you want big gubm't to get? How about gubm't mandated breathometers to placate the enviroweenies?

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BUZSAW B 4 U 2 C Y BUZ SAW.
The immeasurable present eternally extends the infinite past and infinitely consumes the eternal future.

You missed a biggie, Dogmafood. Add to your list over 700,000 annulal medical malpractice deaths, 150,000 to 200,000 being from prescribed drugs. (Where did you get your so low figure on prescribed drugs? I've seen figures as high as 350,000 but never anywhere near your low figure)Mmm, about your marijuana zero. How about a percentage of suicide deaths attributed to drug use. How about the percentage of auto accidents attributed to wild druggie motorists. Ditto for drug related homicides. Every sizeable city has nearly daily drug homicides). Ditto for firearms.All of the above can't directly be attributed to marijuana, but being maijuana is usually where drug addiction begins, a large percentage can be either directly or indirectly attributed to marijuana.Bottom line: Hundreds of thousands can be either directly or indirectly attributed to marijuana usage.That is not to say that there aren't some beneficial aspects of the drug, but the dangers of it give reason to avoid it.As a matter of fact, many of the deaths in your list other than the prescription drugs should be subtracted from other causes on the list such as suicides, motor accidents, firearms, heart attacks, cancer, liver diseases, anurisms, stroke, insanity, etc AND ADDED TO THE PRESCRIBED PHARMACUTAL DEATHSIn effect the pharms are way under-regulated. What is needed is to rein in the deadly pharms and promote the herbals. What is good for the sheeple is bass akwards, so far as govmn't regulation and scrutiny goes.

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BUZSAW B 4 U 2 C Y BUZ SAW.
The immeasurable present eternally extends the infinite past and infinitely consumes the eternal future.

First off, herbals are not packaged and sold as medicine. They are sold as natural food suppliments; big, big difference.Now, Omni, let us reason together on this nutty regulation nonsense you sheeple are advocating. Literally millions have died in wars, fought either for defending freedom, retrieving lost freedoms and as victims of oppressive big bloody guvm'ts.Now, what makes more sense? Figuring on a dozen or two deaths from herbals over the decades or law by law, squandering away our freedoms as ongoing wars for freedom rage on? Why should thousands be dying in hot desert wars as home sheeple sit in comfy air conditioned homes typing nonsense that we have? Hmm?

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BUZSAW B 4 U 2 C Y BUZ SAW.
The immeasurable present eternally extends the infinite past and infinitely consumes the eternal future.

I take it that you're trying to label folks who want less guvm't control of the herbals fascists. If my tired ole brain has deciphered the wordage of your message wrong or if you can explain, sensibly, why folks who think like me are fascist I'll ramp up the 1 rating I gave your message up some.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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BUZSAW B 4 U 2 C Y BUZ SAW.
The immeasurable present eternally extends the infinite past and infinitely consumes the eternal future.

I got your ultimate point that you want marijuana deregulated, but you didn't answer my question. Where did you come up with your figure on the pharms deaths annually? How so, especially figuring in the indirect danger of controlled illicit drugs. How can you protect yourself if you can't buy and sell freely the safe naturals because the producers are regulated out of business?

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BUZSAW B 4 U 2 C Y BUZ SAW.
The immeasurable present eternally extends the infinite past and infinitely consumes the eternal future.

As an example, I take Hawthorn berry capsules twice a day for a healthy heart. (My pulse ranges from 48 bpm to 55 bpm, likely due to being a long distance track runner when young.)A warning on it reads as follows:

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BUZSAW B 4 U 2 C Y BUZ SAW.
The immeasurable present eternally extends the infinite past and infinitely consumes the eternal future.

I suggest a reading of the whole page from which the following segment was copied. (Color emphasis mine)

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BUZSAW B 4 U 2 C Y BUZ SAW.
The immeasurable present eternally extends the infinite past and infinitely consumes the eternal future.

Me? Like I say, after taking likely a ton or so over the decades, the only side effects have been good, enhancing whole body health. Why should I worry about safety when there's essentially no threat, being I take no pharms; not even aspirin.What I worry about now is the likely loss of freedom and loss of sources to buy the products. Buzgirl and I can cure a ourselves and our pet dog of ailments combining herbals, vits, and diet etc. We can also prevent ailments with them. We have avoided docs and vets totally over the decades, but, of course, the guvm't don't allow the bottles to be labeled possible cures. That's ok, but essentially outlawing what we need; not ok.

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BUZSAW B 4 U 2 C Y BUZ SAW.
The immeasurable present eternally extends the infinite past and infinitely consumes the eternal future.

Can you document what percentage have heavy metals and pesticides? Most of the comanies we buy from use organically grown ingredients. The synthetics likely are more prone to have traces of contaminants.But how many people are getting seriously ill or dying from even the ones with traces of contaminants? Likely few or none. Many of the unregulated foods on grocery shelves have even more of these contaminants than the herbals. Compare that to the dangerous poisonous prescribed pharms record and go figure.

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BUZSAW B 4 U 2 C Y BUZ SAW.
The immeasurable present eternally extends the infinite past and infinitely consumes the eternal future.

The primary usage of herbals is preventative food suppliments. They, just like food, can be used, in the broad sense of the term, medicinally but their most common and intended usage is as food suppliments. These food suppliments include such herbs as beets, garlic, wheat grass, cilantro, parsely, flax, rose hips, celery, hot pepper, various berries, including rasberry, cherry, etc. It is irrevelant as to whether they are tasty. What is revelant to this topic is their safety, so far as causing serious enough threat to life and health. Nator, obviously you don't know what you're talking about. None of the many bottles of herbals, minerals and other food suppliments I have mention any of the things you are alleging. I just went to the kitchen and read what we have there. All of the information on the labels is instructions as to how many are recommended for usage, who, if any should not be taken, warnings about children access, and ingredients.Hawthorne is widely known as beneficial to the heart organ but nothing about the heart is mentioned on the bottle. The companies simply produce and market the products. It's up to the healthcare provider or purchaser to pick and choose what they want for whatever purpose, whether preventative or medicinal.Likely I would have not ordered Hawthorne had I not had information about some of it's benefits. In most cases any given herb has a wholistic value, in that many aspects of the overall health of the whole body are benefited by the herb, vitamine or mineral, just like, generally a diet including raw vegies, nuts and fruits are beneficial to the whole body, wholistically. Just like foods such as eggs and meat, they are all already regulated by the FDA. When significant, (I say significant) complaints come known they are suppose to act. compared to foods in general and especially comparable to pharms, no way has there been any significant complaint about the herbals. The most significant feedback from them are the good side effects to the whole body health that they bring.Nator, bottom line is that it nonsensical to put a whole beneficial industry, employing millions out of business; an industry, like the food industry, already FDA regulated by classifying them as prescription drugs when in fact they are not drugs and they pose no significant health risk to life and health. Apples and oranges. LOL. When health issues significant for action by the FDA arise, be it in the food industry or any other reason, it becomes quickly known and the FDA goes into action. It took only one comfry death to a dummie who took too much root to get it outlawed, when in fact multiple deaths are allowable by many pharms still on the market. Follow the money for the answer to that and why the pharms supported Obama-care and this oppressive bill being debated here.

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BUZSAW B 4 U 2 C Y BUZ SAW.
The immeasurable present eternally extends the infinite past and infinitely consumes the eternal future.

We buy from time tested reputable herbal producers and we know they help us keep healthy. Other than that, who cares. It's not revelant to this debate so far as serious health risk goes.

Nearly all companies are aware of the liability risk in any given business and they know what labeling info is necessary to protect themselves relative to warnings and info. It is in their best interest to label warnings.There is a far greater health and life risk in food diet, especially fat foods, junk foods candies, icecream pop, etc than in the herbals, yet nobody is clamoring for additional regulation of the food industry.

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BUZSAW B 4 U 2 C Y BUZ SAW.
The immeasurable present eternally extends the infinite past and infinitely consumes the eternal future.

Where does regulation end and freedom begin, in your thinking? How about if guvm't comes on into your garage, basement, yard, kitchen, living room and bedroom and regulate you into total safety?

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BUZSAW B 4 U 2 C Y BUZ SAW.
The immeasurable present eternally extends the infinite past and infinitely consumes the eternal future.

Nonsense! Most of our herbals have no chemicals in them. Many foods and drinks contain chemicals. What's the difference. They, like most nutritional herbals are not considered drugs.Online Dictionary definition of chemical: Many foods and drinks have chemicals in them.

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BUZSAW B 4 U 2 C Y BUZ SAW.
The immeasurable present eternally extends the infinite past and infinitely consumes the eternal future.