Trappings of the herbal makeover products

The market is full of them; the web is full of them; pull a brick and they stumble right into your face. Yes, I am talking about the numerous herbal makeover products and their advertisements, which have become a part and parcel of our lives today. 

You are bony; they’ll help make you muscular. You are weak, they promise strength. Dissolve that fat, get rid of those kidney stones, fight cholesterol and almost anything on this earth through these numerous herbal products from around the globe. You just ask for it and they’ll give you the desired makeover within days. 

However, promises might be galore, but only few pass the test of authenticity, most being mere trappings, a large number of us, fall right into. What better examples can be given than the Spice Gold ‘legal highs’ now proved to be rich in cannabis and the case of the Herbal Group’s Prostaleux Plus, which has gained negative publicity for falsely claiming to enhance male sexual performance.

With claims of the unattainable, tempting us at every step, daring us to try them or be doomed forever to the lives full of the imperfections, (ones, which stare back at us from the mirror everyday); these products are an offer hard to resist. 

Everyone, from an obese toddler to an aging grandmother, all find respite in the numerous claims of these herbal products. Someone eyes flawless skin and risks applying a lotion promising overnight renewal, while another one would go in for a cellulite reducing cream. Weight reduction, height growth and virility enhancing herbal capsules are available in abundance over the counter and on the web.

The assurance of a product being ‘herbal’, automatically fixes the word ‘natural’ in our minds and there we go. Little do we delve into the fact that just as these products; the world is also full of news declaring many artificial chemicals, drugs and medicines being mixed in our so called “herbal helpers”. Neither do we consider the fact that many websites often pay people to write favourable reviews for them and advertise through their sites. 

We simply choose to be slaved by our desires to look perfect. But, have we ever wondered why are we all turning to these products at such alarming rates?

 
Is it that we find the assurance for perfection, so irrestible, that we forget to read between the lines? 
We forget to understand the confines beyond which a product can not possibly work. We fail to use our judgement and fall for the numerous trappings of these herbal pop-ins, often leading ourselves into a constant state of dependence. We expect these products to perform wonders for us, transforming us into what we have long aspired to be and actually are not. 

However, when this does not happen, it leads to low self-esteem and inferiority complex. Other than these, many visible transformations too are the gifts of falsely propagated makeover products. Skin damages, hormonal changes, addictions, further deteriorations, physiological damages, etc are few of the many, often permanent side-effects.

While many agencies - government as well as private, are taking concrete steps to ensure that atleast these products are not advertised on false claims, it is vital that we as consumers too understand the need to be savvy buyers.

Other than our right to file a complaint with the relevant authorities and consumer forums against any misleading herbal product or advertisements, it is also our duty towards ourselves, to be vigilant before picking up a product.

If only we buy from well established brands; check the ingredients of any and every herbal cosmetic to rule out chemical or drug amalgamation and learn to differentiate between attainable and exaggerated results; we shall not only do ourselves a favour, but also discourage numerous such brands flourishing world over.
Remember, it is only our blind urge for perfection, which feeds their numbers.