Safety of supplements

The nutritional supplement industry in general is very poorly regulated in the US.  This dates back to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, which severely limited the ability of the US to protect consumers from dangerous supplements.

As Stephen Barret PhD writes:

"Most people think that dietary supplements and herbs are closely regulated to ensure that they are safe, effective, and truthfully advertised. Nothing could be further from the truth. Although some aspects of marketing are regulated, the United States Congress has concluded that "informed" consumers need little government protection. This conclusion was embodied in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994—commonly referred to as "DSHEA"—which severely limits the FDA's ability to regulate these products."