Recalls and Regulator Warnings About Natural Products
Real FDA and NCCIH notices about natural products, from hidden drugs in honey products to yellow oleander in tejocote-labeled supplements, with body, year and what readers can do.
Content last updated . This page has not been medically reviewed.
Safety first. Natural products can cause side effects and interact with medicines. Read natural ingredient safety before you use anything on this page.
If you have a product named in a notice below, follow the notice and contact a health care provider. For serious symptoms call 911; for a swallowed product call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (US). [1][2]
Short answer. "Natural," "herbal" and "all-natural" on a label do not mean a product has been checked before sale. In the United States the FDA is not authorized to approve dietary supplements for safety and effectiveness before they are marketed. [3] Warnings and recalls usually come after problems are found. This page lists notices we actually read this session; it is a sample, not a complete or current list, and a product missing from it is not proven safe.
What the notices below are
- Recall: a company removes a product from sale, sometimes at the FDA's request. The FDA's recall page says not all recalls have press releases or are posted there. [4]
- Safety alert or public health alert: an agency tells consumers about a risk, with or without a recall.
- Health fraud notification: the FDA names products found to contain hidden ingredients or to make unproven claims. The FDA says health fraud scams waste money and can delay proper diagnosis and treatment. [5]
Notices we read
| Body, country, year | Product type | What the body found | What it advised |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDA, United States, 2026 (entry dated September 17) | Supplements labeled tejocote root or Brazil seed, and other botanical weight-loss products | Products labeled tejocote (Crataegus mexicana) were adulterated because they contained yellow oleander instead; later testing widened to other weight-loss botanicals. [1] FDA names the poisonous plant Thevetia peruviana; GBIF lists the accepted name as Cascabela thevetia. [6] It can cause neurologic, stomach and heart effects that may be severe or fatal. [1] | Stop using and dispose of the products; contact a health care provider even if use was not recent; call 9-1-1 for serious effects. [1] |
| FDA, United States, notices through April 2026 | Honey-based products sold for sexual enhancement | Laboratory testing found active drug ingredients (tadalafil and sildenafil) not listed on the labels; the FDA says these can interact with nitrates and lower blood pressure to dangerous levels. [7] | The FDA issued warning letters to four companies and published public notifications for 24 products. [7] |
| FDA, United States, notices through September 2026 | Weight-loss pills, teas and supplements | Many are likely to be contaminated with dangerous hidden ingredients, and are sometimes falsely advertised as all-natural. The FDA says its list covers only a small fraction. [8] | A product not on the list is not necessarily safe; talk to a health care professional first. [8] |
| FDA, United States, February 2020 | Supplements containing cesium salts, promoted by some as alternative cancer treatments | Case reports and non-clinical studies show potentially fatal heart rhythm problems, low potassium and seizures; cesium salts have never been proven safe and effective for cancer or any other use. [9] | Avoid these supplements. [9] |
| FDA, United States, January 2020 | Flax seed fiber powder and capsules | A voluntary recall of certain lots for possible Salmonella contamination; young children, older adults and people with weak immune systems are more likely to have severe infections. [10] | Stop using the listed lots. [10] |
| FDA warnings, as described by NCCIH | Colloidal silver | NCCIH reports the FDA warned it is not safe or effective for any disease, and that argyria (bluish-gray skin discoloration) is usually permanent. [11] | See Colloidal Silver: Risks and Claims. |
For the colloidal silver row we read NCCIH's summary only. NCCIH lists a 1999 FDA Federal Register final rule on over-the-counter drug products containing colloidal silver among its references, but we did not read the rule itself. [11]
Why labels cannot be taken at face value
NCCIH says products marketed for weight loss, sexual enhancement and bodybuilding may contain prescription drugs not allowed in dietary supplements, or ingredients not listed on the label. [12] It also says "natural" does not always mean "safe." [12] NCCIH adds that some detox or cleansing programs can be unsafe and falsely advertised. [13] See Detox Claims Checked.
What a reader can safely do
- Ask a pharmacist to look up a product and its ingredients before you start it, especially if you take prescription medicines. See Medication Interactions.
- Read labels and understand certifications in general terms: Quality, Testing and Certifications and Unsafe Products and Warnings.
- If a product may have harmed you, the FDA says to contact or see a health care provider first; reports can then be filed, even if you are unsure the product caused the problem. [14] See Side Effects, Allergic Reactions and Reporting.
Limits of this page
We could not read recall tables on the FDA recall page (the list did not load in the text we could see), and we did not read Health Canada, UK, EU or Australian notices. Proper evidence not found, in the sources we read, for how many natural products are recalled each year. Regulation outside the US is not described here. How the rules work: How Supplements Are Regulated.
Frequently asked questions
Does "natural" mean a product has been checked by a regulator?
Not in the sources we read. The FDA says it is not authorized to approve dietary supplements for safety and effectiveness before they are marketed. [3]
Can a supplement contain a drug that is not on the label?
Yes, the FDA has reported hidden drug ingredients in honey-based products and weight-loss products. [7][8]
What is yellow oleander and why did the FDA warn about it?
Yellow oleander is a poisonous plant. The FDA found it in products labeled as tejocote root or Brazil seed. [1]
Is a product safe if it is not on the FDA list?
No. The FDA says a product missing from its weight-loss list is not necessarily safe. [8]
Where do I report a problem?
Contact a health care provider first; then see Side Effects, Allergic Reactions and Reporting. [14]
References
- FDA, United States. FDA Issues Warning About Certain Products Containing Toxic Yellow Oleander. Safety alert, entry dated September 17, 2026 on the page. Read 2026-10-23.
- Poison Control (America's Poison Centers). Poison Control home page. Read 2026-10-23.
- FDA. Information for Consumers on Using Dietary Supplements. Read 2026-10-23.
- FDA. Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts. Read 2026-10-23.
- FDA. Health Fraud Scams. Read 2026-10-23.
- GBIF Secretariat. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Names checked 2026-10-23 through the GBIF species match service. Read 2026-10-23.
- FDA. Tainted Honey-based Products with Hidden Active Drug Ingredients. Page lists warning letters and public notifications, the latest dated April 2026. Read 2026-10-23.
- FDA. Weight Loss Product Notifications. List includes notices through September 2026. Read 2026-10-23.
- FDA, United States. Public Health Alert Concerning Dietary Supplements Containing Cesium Salts. February 5, 2020. Read 2026-10-23.
- FDA, United States. Public health alert about flax seed fiber powder and capsules and Salmonella contamination. January 2020, updated January 30, 2020. Read 2026-10-23.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Colloidal Silver: What You Need To Know. Read 2026-10-23.
- NCCIH. Using Dietary Supplements Wisely. Read 2026-10-23.
- NCCIH. Detoxes and Cleanses: What You Need To Know. Read 2026-10-23.
- FDA. Questions and Answers on Dietary Supplements. Read 2026-10-23.