Natural Products: What They Are, How They Work, and What You Need to Know

When people talk about natural products, substances derived from plants, minerals, or animals used to support health or treat conditions. Also known as herbal remedies, they include everything from turmeric and garlic to milk thistle and echinacea. Many assume that if something is natural, it’s automatically safe. That’s not true. Just because a substance comes from a plant doesn’t mean it won’t interact with your medications, trigger allergies, or cause liver damage. In fact, some of the most dangerous drug interactions we see come from people mixing prescription drugs with natural products they think are harmless.

Herbal supplements, concentrated plant extracts sold as pills, teas, or tinctures. Also known as botanicals, they’re often marketed as gentle alternatives to pharmaceuticals. But they’re not regulated like drugs. Two bottles labeled "milk thistle" can have wildly different amounts of the active compound. One might help your liver. The other might do nothing—or make you sick. And if you’re on blood thinners, statins, or cancer meds, some of these can be deadly. Liv.52 Drops, for example, contain chicory and caper bush—both herbs that affect liver enzymes. That’s fine if you’re healthy. But if you’re on warfarin or chemotherapy, it’s a different story. Same goes for magnesium hydroxide used topically: it’s gentle on skin, but if you swallow it by accident, it can cause diarrhea or electrolyte shifts. Natural doesn’t mean harmless.

Alternative medicine, a broad category of treatments not typically taught in medical schools or covered by insurance. Also known as complementary therapies, it includes acupuncture, essential oils, and dietary changes. People turn to it for chronic pain, skin issues like perioral dermatitis, or when conventional meds cause side effects. But it’s not a replacement. For fibromyalgia, some try ginger or turmeric to reduce inflammation. Others use piracetam for brain fog. These might help a little. But they don’t replace amitriptyline or duloxetine when nerve signals are firing out of control. And if you’re managing gout in a child with allopurinol, don’t swap it out for cherry juice just because it’s "natural." The science doesn’t back it up enough to risk flare-ups.

What you’ll find here isn’t a list of miracle cures. It’s a clear-eyed look at what natural products actually do—and what they don’t. We cover how they interact with medications like statins, warfarin, and chemotherapy drugs. We show you which inactive ingredients in supplements can trigger rashes or stomach issues. We explain why some people feel worse after switching to generics that contain the same herbs or extracts. And we warn you about the hidden risks: heatwaves making supplements more toxic, or how travel can leave your natural products vulnerable to theft or spoilage.

These aren’t theoretical concerns. Real people have ended up in the ER because they thought "herbal" meant "safe." Others wasted months trying aloe vera for eczema while their real condition worsened. We don’t push natural products. We don’t trash them. We just give you the facts so you can decide—without guessing.