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D3 said..
Many herbal remedies and supplements don't actually contain what they claim, either they don't list what they actually have in them or they have wildly different concentrations.
Indeed, although not the point I was making. Except it kinda is the point I was making.
When you say "The benefit of aspirin over willow bark is that you can be confident in the contents and dose of the pill.",
I agree, if you are comparing a dose of asprin purchased from a registered pharmacy against a tub of herbal remedy purchased from the Saturday market in Nimbin.
But asprin versus willow bark isn't the like-for-like comparison.
My point was, just because the unregistered herbal seller is promoting stupid crap made from willow bark, it doesn't make synthetically produced salicylic acid ("asprin" being one brand name for this) any more effective or better for you than naturally occuring salicylic acid (in, for example willow bark) by default.
It makes the testing and control of the end product different, but not necessarily the source of the chemical.
I am not suggesting munching on a chunk of willow bark is the same as taking a measured prescription of asprin. All I was saying was that that just because charlatans sell herbal remedies and snake oil, it does not mean naturally occuring drugs are all nonsense and only synthteically manufactured drugs will cure your illnessses.