2006-01-07

headache remedy or toxin?

I've been seeing alot of ads for this stuff called "Head On" in ads on TV. Well, since I get the occasional headache myself, I thought I'd look into what this stuff is. According to drugstore.com the product contains two active ingredients. Potassium Dichromate and White Bryony. Both ingredients are purportedly homeopathic remedies.

The first one, Potassium Dichromate, according to the
Comenius - European Cooperation on School Education, the principal hazards associated with it are listed as:







  • Potassium dichromate is toxic if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. It is corrosive and may produce severe eye damage.
  • Chromium (VI) compounds are carcinogens.
  • Potassium dichromate may act as a sensitizer.
  • This material is a strong oxidizing agent and reacts vigorously or explosively with a wide variety of reducing agents.

Now I don't know about you, but I wouldn't exactly want to be rubbing that on my forehead. The other ingredient, White Bryony, also seems to be a pretty nasty active ingredient. According to herbalremedies.com it
acts as an irritant and often causes inflammation where it is applied and it is toxic as well. Ingesting this herb can cause vomiting, kidney damage, convulsions, and abortion, therefore, it is prescribed mainly by homeopathic practitioners to be taken in extremely small doses.

Okay, so you might not be eating any of this stuff.... but the ingredients ARE absorbed sublingually and will make it into the bloodstream via epidermal capillaries.

I have a feeling that this stuff causes more headaches in the long run than it cures.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

surely, if it's in homeopathic dose it won't be toxic anymore?