The New York State Attorney General announced early last year that testing showed that supplements sold at Walmart, Walgreens, Target and GNC do not actually contain the herbs they claim to contain on their label. Cheap fillers, such as powdered rice, asparagus, house plants and even some substances that could be fatal to those with allergies, were found to be inside the supplements.
A store brand of ginseng pills at Walgreens, said to enhance “physical endurance and vitality” was only found to contain powdered garlic and rice. On the other hand, Walmart’s ginkgo biloba, a Chinese plant that enhances memory, contained just radish, houseplants and wheat, even though the product was marketed as wheat and gluten-free.
