When you are serious about dramatically improving your physical health, it can be extremely tempting to turn to food supplements. Some of these products promise that they will help you to shed pounds of excess fat, others swear that they will strengthen your immune system, and yet more are advertised as being able to combat diseases like cancer.
However, the sad truth is that many supplements fail to deliver on the claims made in advertisements, and it turns out that some are downright bad for you. Here are seven of the most dangerous and counterproductive food supplements found on the market.
#1 Aconite
Aconite is a plant, the root of which is sometimes marketed as being a beneficial supplement for people who suffer from chronic joint pain, want to treat wounds or are struggling with unhealthy levels of inflammation in the body.
In Chinese medicine, aconite has been used to treat heart failure and heart disease.
However, while there are chemicals in aconite root that have the potential to improve circulatory function in some individuals, it is also poisonous. In particular, it is capable of causing a whole host of deeply alarming side effects.
The mildest of these include nausea, vomiting, weakened muscles, gastric pain, blurred vision, diarrhea and sweating. More extreme results of aconite ingestion include depressed respiratory system function, nerve damage, acute dizziness, arrhythmia (i.e. abnormal heart rhythms), blackouts, decreased heart function, coma, and death.
Further, aconite may be particularly dangerous to diabetic patients, as there is some evidence that it can lower blood sugar.
Using aconite is unadvisable in all circumstances; it is dangerous both in supplement form and when turned into a lotion that can be applied to treat skin conditions. Your doctor will be able to advise much safer and more effective treatments for any joint pain.
