Herbal remedies. Natural supplements. The terms we use to describe medication made from plants seem wholesome and pure, like Beaver Cleaver playing baseball in a field full of daises.

We think of drugs with natural ingredients as being better for us and milder than harsh prescription medication. After all, the practice of herbal medicine is thousands of years old.

But in our consumer-driven world, the traditional shaman has often been replaced by a money-hungry huckster.

And in no area is there more money to be made than in touting new "natural" weight-loss drugs.

Take a gander at the hundreds of weight-loss products lining the shelves of Vitamin Cottage or check the average price of such supplements at Whole Foods — about $20 for a 10-day supply — and you'll see that it's big business.

And that big business is not regulated by any government agency.

The labels of herbal remedies bear this warning: "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration."

And here's what that statement, which is required by law, tells you: The manufacturers of the supplement can make whatever outrageous claims they want without any proof.

So how can you navigate your way through such quicksand? Well, I'm here to help.

Unfortunately, I have to start out by telling you that no herbal supplement has withstood rigorous scientific study. There is no evidence that any natural remedy works. But I want to keep you informed, so I've tracked down what's hot, what's deadly and what's up-and-coming.

Digesting natural remedies

Ephedra: At the moment ephedra, also known as Ma Huang, is banned in the U.S., although several Web sites that still sell it claim it's legal. The drug found its way into murky waters by working as an appetite suppressant that was linked to heart attacks, seizures, high blood pressure and death. Since dead people make the FDA cranky, the agency finally decided to get the courts to ban the product in 2004.

Dieter's Tea: The tea works as a laxative mainly by using senna, aloe and buckthorn. It can cause diarrhea, fainting and chronic constipation. There also have been four documented cases of women who died after drinking the tea. Again, since the FDA is not a big fan of death, it is considering requiring tea makers to put a warning on the label.

Seaweed: This is the new kid on the block that everyone is gossiping about behind his back. It's so hot right now that Whole Foods special-ordered it after repeated requests from customers. It is sold under the name Fücothin — which I believe is also a swear word if you say it really fast and add a New Jersey accent. The seaweed contains fucoxanthin, which is supposed to help melt away belly fat, but no human studies have been done to either prove or disprove that.

Chitosan: This dietary supplement made from shrimp passes through your GI tract unabsorbed and is supposed take some fat along with it as it exits. But in one study, a placebo was just as effective in weight loss as chitosan.

Bitter Orange: This is the new ephedra. It is an appetite suppressant that can be found in supplements claiming to be ephedra-free. Because it contains chemicals similar to those in ephedra, it can increase heart rate and blood pressure. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, "there is currently little evidence that bitter orange is safer to use than ephedra."

Green Tea: Some tests in mice show that green tea not only blocks fat, it keeps you from gaining weight. You can become your own little test mouse by drinking a cup a day — make sure it's the real thing — or by taking green tea-extract pills. Since green tea is fairly cheap and has many other health benefits attributed to it — such as lowering cholesterol and reducing the effects of stress — this might be the best natural supplement to try.

Hoodia: In 2004, Lesley Stahl and a camera team from 60 Minutes went all the way to South Africa to try hoodia, an appetite suppressant taken for thousands of years by local tribes to stave off hunger. After taking a hit of the cactus-like plant, Stahl said she had no desire to eat or drink the entire day. All of this is according to an article on the
60 Minutes Web site, which goes on to say, "the West is just discovering hoodia."

Well, it's four years later, and I would say we've discovered the hell out of hoodia. There are dozens of hoodia products on the shelves of herbal and natural foods stores.

Unfortunately, there is no proof hoodia works. Only one very small study — of seven people — has been done. But the results were intriguing. The participants — whose starting weights ranged from 193 to 345 pounds — took two hoodia pills a day, while not changing other eating and exercise habits. On average, they lost 10 pounds in 28 days.

But if you are thinking about trying it, beware: There are lots of fake products out there, especially given that in January, the Botanic Gardens Conservation International declared that the plant has been so over-collected, it is at risk of becoming extinct.


There are many, many more products that claim to help you lose weight, but I will leave you with parting words from natural health guru Dr. Andrew Weil, who says this about weight loss and herbal supplements: "The only formula that works is eating less and exercising more, and that won't cost you anything."

To find out more about going black market in search of herbal supplements or off-label in search of a prescription weight-loss drug, go to Christine's blog at www.etastesantafe.com.