Green Hornet Supplement Risk

Hell, in this case, was a 16-ounce bottle of Green Hornet, a dietary supplement that has been touted on the Web as the legal version of the street drug Ecstasy. Billy Rocha, 18, and three of his friends bought the bottle at a store and checked into a local motel room to try it out.

Rocha recalls the first ounce producing no effect. Havoc ensued after he and his friends consumed a second ounce. One of the teen-agers stood up and collapsed into convulsions. As his lips began turning blue, Rocha cradled him in his arms and tried to prevent him from swallowing his tongue as his spasms continued.

For his part, Rocha tried to make himself vomit in order to expel the liquid but began hallucinating.

What Rocha describes as the most terrifying moments of his life are but the latest example of how history repeats itself with grossly under-regulated, potentially dangerous supplement products, said Dr. Robert Keith, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System and Auburn University professor of nutrition and food science.

“There is a market of fly-by-night groups that produce these supplements and put them on the Web and even in retail stores,” Keith said.

Unfortunately for consumers, until someone gets sick --- as in the case of Rocha and his three friends --- there is very little the federal government can do.

The problems associated with supplements stem as much from inadequate federal regulatory authority as from market hucksters, he said.

“Much of the problem really goes back to the Dietary Supplement Health Education Act of 1994, which really turned out to be a highly political bill very favorable to the supplement industry,” Keith said. “Instead of putting the burden of proof on supplement manufacturers, which is the case with food and prescription drug manufacturers, it’s up to the government to prove whether the supplements are safe.

“The problem is that, unlike food and drugs, the government really can’t step in and do anything until something happens, usually until someone is hurt or even killed taking one of these products.”

The Green Hornet episode involving the four Colorado youths last month provided federal investigators the authority to undertake a careful analysis of the supplement.

“They discovered that the makers of this product really did something with it,” Keith said. “Several of the ingredients weren’t listed on the product label. Two ingredients actually turned out to be drugs --- the same found in over-the-counter cough medicine.”

This discovery enabled FDA to remove the product from the retail market. Unfortunately, Keith said, regulating supplements within the current federal regulatory climate is a lot like trying to stamp out a forest fire. As soon as one supplement is removed, fly-by-night manufacturers concoct some other brew that may turn out to be just as accessible and dangerous as Green Hornet.

“People tend to assume that if you can buy it at the store or on the Web, it’s safe.” he said. “But that’s often not the case. True, some of these products aren’t dangerous and merely cost you out of the pocketbook, but some of them really are dangerous. It really is a buyer-beware market.

“This really is a fall-between-the-cracks industry. The FDA isn’t looking out for products such as Green Hornet because it simply doesn’t have manpower to do so.”

If you’re one of millions of Americans who use supplements, Keith offers a few simple rules of thumb.

First, stick exclusively with more commonly established supplements such as vitamins and minerals, which tend to be safer, even though their effectiveness isn’t necessarily guaranteed. The safest of such brands are marketed under common retail names and are found in larger department stores and pharmacies.

Also, when buying these products, look for the USP label (which stands for U.S.Pharmacopoeia). This shows the product contains the level of nutrients listed on the label. Fly-by-night supplement manufacturers, such as the makers of Green Hornet, do not carry this label, Keith said.

“Sticking with brand names and looking for the USP label will at least give you a road map,” he said. “Otherwise, you’re looking for trouble.”

Also, stay away from any product that contains a large number of different ingredients, claims to boost how you feel, offers easy weight loss or claims to enhance physical performance. There’s a greater chance these contain possibly adverse compounds and other potentially harmful substances. Ephedra, for example, which is being taken off the market, was an ingredient in many of these supplements.

Finally, always remember that any product making an outlandish claim is very likely dealing in fantasy.

“If it really worked, do you really think some dinky little company would be the only one offering it?” Keith asked. “If the claims really were true, the product would be worth billions of dollars, everyone would be talking about it and many name-brand companies would be selling it.”

[Source: Dr. Robert Keith, Alabama Cooperative Extension System Nutritionist and Auburn University Professor of Nutrition and Food Science, (334) 844-3269; Writer: Jim Langcuster, Extension Communications Specialist, (334) 844-5686.]

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