Line #10 Main/SpiceRackPanacea


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7	->''"You can go to your Nan, who will give you two potions that will restore health, ''and'' magic, ''and'' double your damage. For ''free''. 'Nan, your hearty soup is flooding the potion market! Fuck Ganondorf, we need to save ''you'' from having your kneecaps broke by the Potion Teamsters Union!'"''
8	-->-- '''[[Creator/BenCroshaw Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw]]''', ''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation'', on ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker''
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10	One of the staples of late-night advertising[[note]] And, these days, online as well, often said to be "discovered" by "a mom from {{Suburbia}}," and "[[MemeticMutation Doctors Hate Her!!!]]" because she (apparently) [[ConsumerConspiracy knows something They don't want her to know]]. [[/note]] is the host of [[HealingHerb herbal remedies]] claiming to cure all known human ills. Having trouble shedding that last 10 pounds? There's an herbal pill for it. Can't concentrate or focus like you used to? We have magic plant extracts for that, too. Sex life not what it used to be? There's a whole forest of herbs for that one. [[{{Pun}} (And with that much wood, how can you go wrong?)]] Only three easy payments!
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12	These herbal cures are always packaged similar to modern pharmaceuticals, using plastic bottles or sheets containing pills or capsules. However, none of them have undergone any FDA (or other-country equivalent) scrutiny since they don't claim to treat a disease (not even normal food safety requirements), as their disclaimers would tell you [[UnreadableDisclaimer if you could read them]]. That doesn't necessarily mean they don't work, but it means that we cannot be certain that they do; and even if they do, there is also no guarantee of consistency, since plants vary widely in their potency. Testing by consumer protection agencies in several countries has shown that potency of herbal remedies can vary between non-existent to potentially harmful, even between different batches from the same manufacturer; and contamination with harmful substances such as heavy metals and pesticides is a frequent occurrence and the actual levels of the purported active ingredient might even vary.
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14	Equally important, there are often no warnings of potentially harmful side-effects, or interactions with prescription drugs, foods, or even other herbal pills; even when there really ought to be. It's wise to remember that NatureIsNotNice and is [[EverythingTryingToKillYou full of things that are trying to kill us]].
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16	In the U.S., a law has forced advertisements of such herbal remedies, which are not run through the Food and Drug Administration, to say as much at the end of their ads. Thus, you'll [[RattlingOffLegal hear]] or [[UnreadableDisclaimer see]] [[OurLawyersAdvisedThisTrope the following]]: "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease." Which basically translates into "[[BlatantLies We just lied through our teeth]]" if the whole point of the ad was to imply that the remedy ''did'' "diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure" a specific disease. The above disclaimer has been derisively dubbed by the medical community as "The Quack Miranda Warning". Similar disclaimers are also legally mandated in several other countries, like for example in the Philippines which could go something like this: ''Ang TV Tropes ay hindi gamot at hindi dapat gamiting panggamot sa anumang uri ng sakit.'' (translation: ''TV Tropes is not a drug and should not be used for the treatment of any disease.'')
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18	See also AllNaturalSnakeOil. For something that actually works, see {{Panacea}}, or the more downplayed and plausible versions ThatOldTimePrescription and SoupIsMedicine. Compare and contrast SideEffectsInclude. Also consider the PlaceboEffect, which means that even useless remedies can produce genuine results since YourMindMakesItReal.
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21	!!Examples:
22	[[foldercontrol]]
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24	[[folder:In Fiction]]
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26	[[AC:Literature]]
27	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': King Verence of Lancre and Queen Magrat, for all their savvy and intelligence (Magrat is a ''herbalist''), think that medicine containing "herbs" is better, something enterprising merchants like [[HonestJohnsDealership C.M.O.T. Dibbler]] (and his Ramtops equivalent [[TheShangriLa Lobsang Diblah]]) are all too eager to cash in on, by shoving whatever random plants they find into bottles of shampoo and calling it a day.
28	** Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax make use of this tendency often, with the former providing it as a reason why her [[GargleBlaster scumble]] is a healthy tonic ("It's made from apples. Well, mainly apples."), and the latter explaining to certain folks that some of her medicines contain rare herbal ingredients, like akwa and sukrose. It helps that, on the Disc, when a witch hands you a bottle and says that it will cure your ailments, you'd better darned well believe that it'll cure your ailments.
29	** A particularly egregious example is "brose", which is a herbal concoction drunk by the Nac Mac Feegle in ''Literature/CarpeJugulum'' to get them in the fighting mood. That this beverage is a psychoactive capable of affecting a people who have drunk fairie spirits, lamp oil and Nanny Ogg's Special Sheep Liniment (which is capable of decking a bear through contact high alone) with no discernible effect should have raised a red flag or two, but Verence decides that "it's herbal, so it must be good", and chugs the lot. The effect is... something to behold.
30	* ''Literature/TheLongDarkTeaTimeOfTheSoul'': After Thor is injured by an eagle, Kate tries to clean the wound with disinfectant, but Thor refuses and names various herbal remedies that he prefers (including sedra, almond and apricot kernel oils, and bitter orange blossom). Luckily Kate has been in the habit of impulse-buying hand creams, conditioners and so on that contain just such natural ingredients, so she dumps them all into a bath for him to wash with.
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32	[[AC:Live-Action TV]]
33	* ''Series/{{Harrow}}'': The VictimOfTheWeek in "Parce Sepulto" ("Forgive the Dead") is a health blogger promoting a mineral supplement she claims cured her of cancer. [[spoiler:Unbeknownst to her, she never actually had cancer and the mineral supplement is loaded with heavy metals that have been slowly poisoning her.]]
34	* An episode of ''Series/{{House}}'' from the first season deals with this. House has to prove that it wasn't his failure to keep good records that caused a nun to react unexpectedly to an allergy shot. After about forty minutes televised time, he figures out that the figwort tea she drank all the time caused that particular problem; figwort acts like a stimulant. [[spoiler:Except not -- it's a RedHerring.]]
35	* An episode of ''Series/LawAndOrder'' deals with a doctor selling one of these as a breast cancer cure, with the result that one of her patients dies from complications of the disease.
36	* ''Series/MidsomerMurders'': In "[[Recap/MidsomerMurdersS21E3 The Sting of Death]]", a local apiarist claims to have cured his cancer through a regimen of honey and bee venom. He is now doing a thriving trade is selling the honey and venom as an alternative medicine. [[spoiler:It turns out he never had cancer. It was a misdiagnosis. However, by the time this was discovered, he was making too much money to come clean, so he paid off his doctors to keep quiet about it. The killer turns out to be someone whose mother had the same form of cancer and eschewed medical treatment in favour of the honey and venom and died.]]
37	* In ''Series/NewTricks'', DefectiveDetective Brian Lane switches from the powerful anti-depressants he normally uses to combat his OCD and paranoid manic depression to a holistic regime... and quickly becomes an unstable, nervous and paranoid wreck who's no good at his job. In her defense, the holistic practitioner he consults urges him to consult his medical doctor before making any shift in his medication or including her holistic treatments in his routine; Brian simply chooses not to listen.
38	* An episode of ''Series/PerfectStrangers'' has Balki mentioning "the [[MeaningfulName Midolcrampabloatalis root]] that grows on the summit of [[MeaningfulName Mt. PMSkalos]]" as a cure for something that ails Larry.
39	* In the first season of ''Series/UglyBetty'', Hilda is a saleswoman for "Herbalux", a company selling cosmetic products and snack bars. She makes quite a killing at the Mode cafeteria (full of people desperate to be thin) before they kick her out for operating without a license. Later, the company goes bankrupt after one of their products made a woman lose her hair.
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41	[[AC:Western Animation]]
42	* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "[[Recap/FuturamaS1E13FryAndTheSlurmFactory Fry and the Slurm Factory]]", when Bender complains about feeling sick:
43	-->'''Amy:''' You should try homeopathic medicine, Bender. Try some zinc.\
44	'''Bender:''' [[RunningGag I'm forty percent zinc.]]\
45	'''Amy:''' Then take some echinacea, or St. John's wort.\
46	'''Professor Farnsworth:''' Or a big, fat placebo. It's all the same crap!
47	* In ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', Hank reacts to herbal tea as if it was a form of illegal drug by calling it "dope".
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50	[[folder:Real Life]]
51	* Metabolite, and everything else that contained ephedrine. After synthetic versions of the weight-loss chemical were banned due to violent side effects, people just switched to ephedra, a plant that produces ephedrine naturally. Will people ever learn?
52	** Even better, ephedra is a common ingredient in the production of meth. Will the ''FDA'' ever learn?
53	* The main active ingredient in the weight-loss supplement Hydroxycut is a form of nicotine derived from hemlock. The FDA issued a warning about Hydroxycut causing liver damage, causing it to be pulled from store shelves.
54	* Airborne was advertised as a vitamin and herb supplement that helped prevent or shorten colds. The creators were eventually sued, but production was not shut down. One lawsuit was over the fact that, when used as directed by the packaging, it could provide potentially toxic overdoses of Vitamin A. The product had to be reformulated to prevent such an overdose in order to remain on the market, and later lawsuits dealt with Airborne committing fraud. The product in the past was advertised as being scientifically tested. However, the testing was done by a company created by the makers of Airborne, and the "company" consisted of only two men, with no laboratories, clinics, scientists or doctors qualified to perform such a study.
55	* It seems that every month or two someone tests some herbal treatment, and discovers that the manufacturer is slipping in ground-up Viagra or blood pressure medicine or some other prescription medicine appropriate to the condition. Not that they're mentioning that little fact on the label, opening people to surprise drug interactions and overdoses, and this is if the consumer's ''lucky''. Many herbal medicines contain drugs that were banned in the West years ago after they were discovered to be unsafe. Others contain veterinary drugs that aren't safe for human use -- one example contained an antibiotic used to treat horses which in humans could be lethal.
56	* The "colon cleanser" products often advertised on talk radio or spam mail fall into this trope, too; one product contains things like inulin, psyllium and guar gum (safe, effective fiber laxatives that are available much more cheaply at the local drugstore), but also senna, aloe vera and cascara (sources of anthraquinones, powerful stimulant laxatives that shouldn't ever be used for more than a week at a time.)
57	* Many people use natural [=MAOI=]-containing herbs such as Passionflower to treat their depression. What many of them don't realize is that if they take these herbs while or even ''2 weeks before'' taking an SSRI-based substance (most prescription antidepressants), or eating certain foods you can basically overdose on your own serotonin and get very sick, or even die. Similarly, St. John's Wort contains [=SRIs=] similar to anti-depressants such as Prozac. Taking multiple SRI/SSRI/SNRI type drugs can cause serious and potentially fatal complications. Combining MAO inhibitors with [=SRIs=], or with any number of different types of foods, can also cause serious and potentially fatal complications. St. John's wort is also known to interact badly with certain heart medications; and can greatly reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives.
58	* Warfarin, a prescription drug used to treat many heart and circulation problems, is known to have potentially harmful interactions with over 200 herbal medicines, including ginseng, dong quai, feverfew, gingko, alfalfa, chamomile, and St. John's wort. Warfarin was originally developed as a rat poison before its blood thinning properties were used in therapeutic doses, so high doses can easily be fatal.
59	** The funny part? Some of the things it interact with can actually help ''treat'' heart problems, [[https://healthfully.com/428330-how-is-grapefruit-related-to-heart-disease.html like grapefruit]].
60	* Echinacea, commonly used to treat colds and other mild viral infections; is known to react badly with heart and anti-anxiety medications. There is no conclusive scientific evidence that it works for colds, anyway.
61	* Licorice root, often used in large doses to treat stomach problems and alleviate minor pains, is known to cause high blood pressure. As an episode of WebVideo/{{Chubbyemu}}'s series elaborates, it's actually quite hard to get enough of it to start suffering from ill effects, at least in the United States, as most licorice sold there isn't actually real licorice, but licorice-flavoured candy. However, a case in 2020 that forms the basis for the episode certainly proved it was possible, as a man from Massachusetts ate so much black licorice that its active ingredient and its metabolite -- glycyrrhizinic acid and enoxolone -- wreaked havoc on his potassium levels by mimicking the hormone aldosterone, which controls the amounts of potassium, sodium and other important chemicals. Eventually, he dropped dead from a combination of his heart stopping and brain damage sustained during his cardiac arrest, as he had lost so much potassium that his heart couldn't beat properly.
62	* Kava is a particularly irritating example in that it may actually work--according to ''Time Magazine'', a study in Germany concluded that the roots have a mild antidepressant effect, like natural Prozac. The leaves and stems, however, are suspected to cause long-term liver damage. Manufacturers who sell it in America have little incentive to make certain no leaves or stems get mixed in with the roots. It does help that most people consuming it aren't doing it for any medicinal purpose: they're using it as a substitute for alcohol (for whatever reason), as the stuff is definitely an intoxicant.
63	* Many plants contain various amount of phytoestrogens, which are compounds that are chemically ''similar'' to estrogen, but which do not behave like your own estrogen in the body[[note]]-- and yes, gentlemen, this includes you; everyone, regardless of gender, produces some estrogen and some testosterone[[/note]]. Whether or not phytoestrogens have any real health benefits for adult women [[http://envirocancer.cornell.edu/FactSheet/Diet/fs1.phyto.cfm is uncertain]], but some people claim (or strongly imply) that phytoestrogens are ''better'' for you than the estrogen your own body makes ''because it comes from plants.'' Whut?
64	* Valerian, often bought on its own and in conjunction with other herbs as a natural insomnia remedy, does work to help you sleep... and it also brings on depression in people with Major Depressive Disorder, Dysthymia, Bipolar, and possibly even in people who were not previously ill. Especially bad as a common symptom of any of the above conditions (and a common side effect of antidepressants, which people with those conditions are likely to be on) is insomnia.
65	* During the SARS outbreak, internet chain letters claimed things such as vitamin C, belladonna, and colloidal silver would cure it. Vitamin C is fairly tame, but belladonna is a poisonous plant and colloidal silver will ''permanently turn your skin blue.''[[note]]Colloidal silver ''has'' demonstrated antimicrobial properties in laboratory testing but it has the potential to cause kidney failure, and actual antibiotics do much better in antimicrobial department. Actually taking colloidal silver is pretty much like drinking bleach because it kills germs.[[/note]]
66	* Someone tried selling [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_Mineral_Supplement medicinal bleach]] a couple of years ago. Even now, there are those who claim it cures everything from cancer to autism. "Miracle Mineral Supplement", the most common name for it, is a case of "one (maybe) out of three is REALLY BAD", because it's definitely not a Miracle, it's definitely not a Supplement (your body ''does not'' need bleach in any way, shape or form), and it's barely a Mineral - it qualifies only in the sense that it's supplied as sodium chlorite, which is ''broadly'' classifiable as a mineral in chemical terms as it's a solid inorganic compound. The [=FDA=] has issued ''numerous'' warnings against consuming it; Jim Humble, who originally promoted it as a cure-all, [[https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/seller-miracle-mineral-solution-sentenced-prison-marketing-toxic-chemical-miracle-cure was sentenced to four years in jail]]; and members of the Grenon family, who founded a church that claimed consuming MMS was their "sacrament", [[https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/leader-genesis-ii-church-health-and-healing-who-sold-toxic-bleach-fake-miracle-cure were brought to trial in 2022]] after Mark Grenon was extradited from Columbia to face the charges.
67	** You might recall the time when UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump stunned his Coronavirus Response Co-ordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, into a visible [[BlueScreenOfDeath BSOD]] by suggesting at a press conference that ingesting disinfectant might be a potential treatment for Coronavirus; the aforementioned Mark Grenon is [[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/24/revealed-leader-group-peddling-bleach-cure-lobbied-trump-coronavirus known to have written to Trump making the claim that MMS could be used as a Coronavirus treatment]] before Trump said ''almost'' the same thing (bleach is of course a disinfectant, but it's not the ''only'' thing that is; that said, basically ''nothing'' that qualifies as a disinfectant is safe for humans to take internally).
68	** More on the topic of crazy medical uses of industrial cleaning agents, Lysol was marketed as a vaginal douche in the 1950s.
69	* The original formula for Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound, sold as a cure-all for "female complaints", included some herbs still recommended by alternative medicine for treating menopause symptoms. It was also nearly 40 proof[[note]]about 20% alcohol by volume[[/note]], packing more alcoholic punch than most nonfortified wines. (Mrs Pinkham's competitors used an even higher alcohol content.) In an era when ladies did not drink in public, a couple bottles of Vegetable Compound in the medicine cupboard could give you a very nice buzz without the stigma of being a LadyDrunk -- you're just taking your medicine. This was at least part of what inspired the Vitameatavegamin skit on ''Series/ILoveLucy'', which ends in a punchline about its absurd potency.
70	** Hence the Scaffold's 1967 hit, ''[[http://youtu.be/u7pHDoJrrzA Lily The Pink]]''
71	--> We'll drink a drink, a drink/To Lily the Pink, the Pink, the Pink/ The saviour of the human race!\
72	For she invented, Medicinal Compound/Most efficacious, in every case!
73	* Most people in the pharmaceutical industry know that ''nearly every drug we have'' was initially discovered in a plant (less commonly an animal) or is a minor chemical modification to such a compound. A significant method in new drug development is called alternatively "weeds and seeds" or "find 'em and grind 'em": a bunch of interns will be given a large trash bag, dropped off in the country a couple of miles apart, and told to pick up examples of every unique plant they see and someone will be back to pick them up later. These samples will be brought back into the lab, separated by type, and assayed for pharmacological effect. If some plant extract has an interesting effect, ''then'' scientists start looking at what specific compound is involved. (The formal name for this is "bioprospecting.")
74	** A well known example being Taxol (paclitaxel), a high effectly chemotherapy drug derived from the bark of Pacific Yew trees (''Taxus brevifolia''). A fully synthetic version of the drug was quickly invented thereafter because making a single dose of the drug requires the cutting down of an entire Yew tree and the manufacture of the drug was threatening to put the Pacific Yew on the endangered list.
75	* [[http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/don%E2%80%99t-believe-hype-%E2%80%93-10-persistent-cancer-myths-debunked No, you cannot prevent, treat, or cure cancer by eating "superfoods," or a low-acid or vegan diet]] (you may however be able to reduce your risk by lowering sugar in your diet, as cancer has [[https://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20141216/diabetes-cancer-rates some links to diabetes]]).
76	** As stated on AllNaturalSnakeOil, raw and wholly organic bitter almonds as well as apricot and peach pits (that is the seed within the stone) contain Amygdalin, the chemical used to get the "almond smell", which breaks down in the body. The chemical itself has a nitrile group that decomposes into cyanide. Amygdalin and its synthetic cousin laetrile have been pushed as "vitamin B17" (note that it is not, nor has it ever met the scientific definition of a vitamin) and has been made claim that it "selectively targets cancer cells" (yes, this is true and no, they don't explain how) and that the FDA is conspiring with "Big Pharma" to withhold information of the "natural cures" for some sinister reason and not because these are so bad that the bags that sell them explicitly state "don't eat more than six a day" (see [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ConspiracyTheories/HToN Health]]).
77	* Pennyroyal has been known since antiquity to have contraceptive qualities. What isn't generally known is that pennyroyal works this way because it's an abortofacient - it induces miscarriages. aromotherapists are routinely warned not to go anywhere near the superconcentrated essential oil if they're pregnant, nor to prescribe or use it on pregnant women.
78	* Turmeric, and lately, cinnamon (on its own or mixed with honey), cure anything, according to the Internet. Of course, they're good in [[{{Pun}} curries]]...
79	* Kala namak, or Himalayan black salt, is a type of rock salt which is chemically very similar to table salt, but with a few different impurities which alter its colour, smell and taste. However, many health food sites such as [[https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/benefits-of-black-salt-for-skin-hair-and-health/#gref this one]] claim it to be a cure for anything from bloating to depression to dandruff, despite these assertions seemingly being based on no evidence whatsoever. What makes this even more jarring is that many articles freely admit that there have been no scientific studies done on the health benefits of the salt, yet they then go ahead and present their claims as fact anyway. Also, many things they say are just plain wrong- a common claim is that it's good for people with high blood pressure because it's supposedly low in sodium, which is completely untrue. Like most edible salts, kala namak is mainly composed of sodium chloride, and even the trace impurities it contains are mainly sodium compounds. Some sources also say that it's a good source of potassium (it isn't), and say it contains "a unique sulfurous component" (god knows what that's meant to be).
80	** It does have at least some sulfur in it, from the taste of it. However, let's pass on the claims for curing bloating. Like all salts, high doses cause water retention (pretty much bloating). And any sulfur it might have will probably upset the stomach and give you gas.
81	* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shilajit Shilajit]] (spellings differ), is a sludgelike substance derived from the gum of a certain cactus-like plant forming a sort of tar that looks and tastes like pavement would. Supposedly, it's ayurvedic and supports a healthy system. Well, it ''may'' do that, but it does so by causing gas and pretty severe abdominal pain.
82	* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_salve Black salve]] is a paste made by combining the acidic juice of the bloodroot plant with the highly acidic salt zinc chloride. It's marketed as a cure for acne, blisters, lesions, and even skin cancer, but all rubbing the stuff on your skin will accomplish is making it [[{{Squick}} blacken and burn off.]] And if you're really unlucky, you might [[BodyHorror lose your nose, ears, or whatever facial feature you rubbed it on.]]
83	** The [[http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/category/podcast/skeptics-with-a-k/ Skeptics With A K]] podcast, whenever they mention Black Salve, always advise "Don't Google Black Salve". They then, invariably, receive letters from people who thought that was just SchmuckBait comedy, Googled away, and have now finally got done with throwing up. It is so corrosive to skin that Youtuber and Chemist [[https://www.youtube.com/user/powerm1985 Myles Power]] will only handle ''the container'' of the sample he bought while wearing gloves. ''Do not buy this stuff. Do not let ANYONE YOU KNOW buy this stuff. Do NOT Google this stuff '''UNLESS YOU ARE PREPARED TO SEE HORRORS'''''.
84	* Dr. Sydnee [=McElroy=] of Podcast/{{Sawbones}} fame has a saying: "Cure-alls cure nothing." A variety of "natural cures" claim to be able to fix a huge range of problems, even when the signs and symptoms are ''complete opposites'' (ie, diarrhea and constipation). As a rule, if a treatment promises to be a remedy for any conceivable issue, it's probably junk.
85	* In some european countries, calcium supplements are considered a cure for allergic reactions. Nobody really knows where this myth came from, but there's no scientific evidence that additional calcium helps any, and still - it's stubbornly adhered to. But at least it's harmless.
86	* A rule of thumb: imagine putting this substance on your crepes. If the image looks okay (eg. cinnamon and honey is a valid topping) it probably won't cure anything except [[ExpospeakGag transient lowering of blood sugar levels]]. If no sane person would want this anywhere near their food - it's probably likely to kill you. So don't take it.
87	* Anthocyanins for ovulation pain and similar ovary-related problems. Which is actually harmless, because anthocyanins are plant pigments that have nothing to do with cyanide but name (both names are derived from a Greek word that means "blue"), but there's zero scientific evidence that hibiscus tea (a rich source of anthocyanins and the form usually recommended) actually works beyond helping you relax (as placebo) and hydrating you.
88	* Since the 1990s, a few quacks have promoted "grapefruit seed extracts" as a panacea. As well as not being effective at treating anything, the claimed extracts often turn out to be mixed with antibacterial sanitizers that are poisonous to humans. And even when they aren't, grapefruit is infamous for including an enzyme that messes up the metabolism of numerous actual drugs - potentially causing people to accidentally overdose on them.
89	[[/folder]]
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Context Main / SpiceRackPanacea