Most brands of three popular mood-altering supplements--St. John's wort, Sam-e and kava--do deliver dosages of herbs that are close to those listed on the label, according to results of a study by the Consumer Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports.

However, the cost of a daily dose can vary widely between brands, anywhere from 15 cents to $1.20 a dose for St. John's wort, and $1.80 to $8.75 per dose for Sam-e.

What's more, it is not clear if products such as chicken soup with echinacea and corn chips with kava kava--products known as functional foods--actually contain herbal ingredients in safe or effective amounts. There is currently no way to measure amounts of herbs in foods, the report indicates.

"The reasonable consumer should not expect these products to provide any benefit and should not assume that they are safe," Ronald Buchheim, associate health editor for Consumer Reports, told Reuters Health.

In the study, 13 brands of St. John's wort, 12 brands of SAM-e, and 15 brands of kava were tested. The majority of products, which are touted to treat depression or anxiety, contained the amount of ingredients listed on the labels, according to the article in the December issue of Consumer Reports.

Some of the labels on SAM-e supplements were deemed vague and misleading, however. For example, four brands said that each pill contained 200 milligrams (mg) of the compound when they actually contained about 110 mg. The 200 mg, the article explains, referred to the ingredient plus a stabilizing compound, which keeps the product from breaking apart in the bottle.

"People would not intentionally buy (these products) if they understood the labels," Buchheim said.

According to the report, three of the four manufacturers said they would change the product label or the amount of SAM-e in pills in response to the investigation.

SAM-e (s-adenosyl-methionine), a compound found naturally in cells, regulates brain chemicals, which in turn affect mood. Several studies have lent support that the compound may be effective at treating certain depressive disorders.

St. John's wort, an herbal product taken for mild to moderate depression, is safe for most people, the article notes. It can make some people more sensitive to sunlight and reduce the effectiveness of some medications, including birth control pills, cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, beta-blockers and protease inhibitors.

Kava, taken to ease anxiety and relax muscles, also appears effective, studies have shown. But it should not be taken with other anti-anxiety medications, alcohol and some drugs for Parkinson's disease. In the study, kava pills varied in price from 40 cents to $1.20 per dose, depending on the brand.

According to the report, sales of these three herbal products are about $400 million a year.

Functional foods contain added ingredients that go beyond regular nutrition, such as chips with kava or orange juice with calcium. According to a US government report, sales of functional foods are expected to reach $49 billion by 2010.

"Consumers Union believes the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) should vigorously enforce existing laws, and develop regulations on the evidence needed to document the safety of herbal ingredients in foods," the article concludes.

(From Reuters)