What You Need to Know About Herb Adulteration (And How to Avoid It)

Is Your Herbal Supplement Really What It Says It Is?

The herbal supplement market is growing fast, but so are concerns about adulteration. If you buy herbal teas, tinctures, or capsules, there's a chance they might not contain the ingredients listed on the label. So what exactly is adulteration, and why does it matter? Herbal remedies are meant to nourish and heal, but not all herbal products on the market are what they claim to be. A recent review of five popular herbs uncovered a concerning trend: adulteration is more common than most people think.

What is Herbal Adulteration?

Adulteration refers to herbal products that are intentionally or accidentally misrepresented. This could mean using the wrong plant or part of the plant, or adding synthetic fillers and dyes.

What the Research Shows: Key Findings from the Study:

Researchers reviewed over 3,000 samples of five popular herbs. Here’s what they found:

• Black Cohosh: 42% of samples were adulterated—often replaced with ineffective Asian lookalikes.

• Echinacea: 29% adulteration, including products with little or no echinacea at all.

• Elderberry: 17% were substituted with black rice or purple carrot extract.

• Ginkgo: 57% adulteration rate—many were spiked with other flavonoid-rich plants.

• Turmeric: 17% adulterated—some with toxic synthetic colorants like lead chromate.

  
  

Why It Matters:

Adulterated products may not only be ineffective—they could be dangerous. And unfortunately, dietary supplements were found to be much more likely to be adulterated than licensed herbal medicines.

Why It’s a Big Deal:

• The wrong herb = no medicinal effect

• Synthetic dyes like metanil yellow or lead chromate are harmful

• It erodes trust in herbal medicine and small herbal businesses

  
  

Who Has the Highest Risk?

• Dietary supplements had the most adulteration

• Licensed herbal medicines had the least

How to Protect Yourself:

• Buy from reputable brands with transparent sourcing

• Look for third-party tested products

• Better yet—grow your own herbs

  
  

What You Can Do:

• Buy from trusted, third-party-tested sources

• Use products with transparent labeling

• Best of all: grow your own

  
  
  
  

Why Growing Your Own Herbs is Empowering:

When you grow your own medicinal herbs, you know exactly what you’re using. There are no fillers, no fraud, just real, healing plants from your garden to your pantry.

That's exactly why I created Harvest & Herb—to assist novice gardeners in cultivating their own safe and sustainable herbal gardens. In it, you'll discover how to grow 12 healing herbs suitable for beginners, prepare remedies, and take control of your wellness from the ground up.

👉 Ready to get started? Check out Harvest & Herb: A Modern Medicinal Garden — your complete beginner’s guide to growing herbs for wellness.

Harvest & Herb: A Modern Medicinal Garden

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The information offered on HealWise websites is for educational purposes only. HealWise makes no medical claims and is not intended to diagnose or treat medical conditions. Links to external sites are for informational purposes only. HealWise neither endorses them nor is responsible for their content in any way. Readers are advised to conduct their research regarding the safety and usage of any herbs or supplements.