CRN argues that botanical use research confirms products’ safety, not risk to liver health

07 Aug 2024 — The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) has responded to a survey on the prevalence of six “potentially hepatotoxic” botanicals in the US, stating that the study’s findings do not “expose any new risk of liver injury or that should alarm consumers of these supplements.” In the survey, 4.7% of US adults reported exposure to turmeric, green tea, ashwagandha, Garcinia cambogia, red yeast rice and black cohosh products. 

For the study in JAMA Network Open, researchers used nationally representative data from 9,685 adults enrolled in a cohort of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). They extrapolated the reported use to a nationwide estimate of 15.6 million adults consuming at least one “botanical product with liver liability” within the past 30 days.