Can herbal supplements make a difference to your performance? Common herbs found in sports nutrition products

In general, an herb is considered a plant or part of a plant that possesses important medicinal, aromatic, or taste qualities. Through out history herbs have been valued for their medicinal qualities. Modern day aspirin, for example, is derived from white willow bark. Digitalis, used to treat congestive hear failure, uses an ingredient found in Foxglove, a common cottage garden flower. Quinidine and quinine, drugs used to fight malaria, come from the cinchona tree. There are so many examples of herbs being used.

While herbal supplements are considered natural, they are not necessarily make them safe. Herbal supplements are not tested by the Federal Drug Administration agency (FDA) so regulation and quality control and safety of these supplements have long been a hot topic.

Even as the maxim "buyer beware" may seem obvious, millions of exercisers and fitness enthusiasts are lured by the promise of herbal supplements providing natural weight loss, performance enhancement, muscle building, and other areas.

The following list of herbal supplements are often found in the formulations of sports nutrition products. Understanding what they are and their purpose will help you when reading the label.

Common Herbal supplements

Buchu

• Sold as tea

• Mild diuretic

• Antesptic properties

Burdock

• Relative of dandylion

• Root sold as tea

• May fight bacteria and fungus and skin conditions such as acne and psoriasis

Canaigre

• Often marketed as wild red American ginseng or desert ginseng

• Not related to ginseng

• High tannin content which is potentially dangerous and cancer causing

Damiana

• Leaves of Mexican shrub

• May be marketed as aphrodisiac but studies show this claim to be false

Ephedra (Ma Huang)

• Used to make ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, stimulants of the central nervous system

• Excessive dosages cause sleeplessness, anxiety, nervousness

• Potentially dangerous if recommended dosages are exceeded, and dangerous for people with heart conditions, high blood pressure or diabetes

• Banned in supplements by the FDA

Fo-ti

• From the buckwheat family

• Promotes longevity in the Chinese tradition

• May lower cholesterol, protect blood vessels, increase blood flow.

• Acts as a laxative

Garlic

• Potential cholesterol lowering properties, and cancer-fighting antioxident properties

• Ginseng

• May lower stress

• Antioxident

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