Walmart, Walgreens, Target, and GNC are taking full advantage of the lack of regulation in regards to herbals products and selling the public supplements that do not contain the herbs on the label.

According to an investigation by the New York State attorney general’s office into store-brand supplements at four national retailers — GNC, Target, Walgreens and Wal-Mart, these major retail stores sell dietary supplements that do not contain the herbs shown on their labels and many of which included potential allergens not identified in the ingredients list.

They all received cease-and-desist letters askingthat they stop selling these supplements. “Contamination, substitution and falsely labeling herbal products constitute deceptive business practices and, more importantly, present considerable health risks for consumers,” said the letters, first reported today by the New York Times.

From GNC, Herbal Plus brand:

Gingko Biloba:

No gingko biloba found

Did detect allium (garlic), rice, spruce and asparagus

St. John’s Wort

No St. John’s Wort found

Did detect allium (garlic), rice and dracaena (a tropical houseplant)

Ginseng

No ginseng found

Did detect rice, dracaena, pine, wheat/grass and citrus

Garlic

Contained garlic

Echinacea

No echinacea found

Did detect rice in some samples

Saw Palmetto

One sample contained the clear presence of palmetto

Other samples contained a variety of ingredients, including asparagus, rice and primrose

From Target, Up & Up brand

Gingko Biloba

No gingko biloba found

Found garlic, rice and mung/French bean

St. John’s Wort

No St. John’s Wort found

Found garlic, rice and dracaena (houseplant)

Garlic

Contained garlic

One test identified no DNA

Echinacea

Most but not all tests detected Echinacea

One test identified rice

Saw Palmetto

Most tests detected saw palmetto

Some tests found no plant DNA

Valerian Root

No valerian root found

Found allium, bean, asparagus, pea family, rice, wild carrot and saw palmetto

From Walgreens, Finest Nutrition brand

Gingko Biloba

No gingko biloba found

Did detect rice

St. John’s Wort

No St. John’s Wort found

Detected garlic, rice and dracaena

Ginseng

No ginseng found

Detected garlic and rice

Garlic

No garlic found

Detected palm, dracaena, wheat and rice

Echinacea

No echinacea found

Identified garlic, rice and daisy

Saw Palmetto

Contained saw palmetto

From Walmart, Spring Valley brand

Gingko Biloba

No gingko biloba found

Found rice, dracaena, mustard, wheat and radish

St. John’s Wort

No St. John’s Wort found

Detected garlic, rice and cassava

Ginseng

No ginseng found

Found rice, dracaena, pine, wheat/grass and citrus

Garlic

One sample showed small amounts of garlic

Found rice, pine, palm, dracaena and wheat

Echinacea

No echinacea or plant material found

Saw Palmetto

Some samples contained small amounts of saw palmetto

Also found garlic and rice

Source: livingtraditionally.com