US agency to test safety of four herbs

Four popular herbal supplements are to undergo safety checks, the US National Toxicology Programme has announced. The programme—a coalition of agencies that includes the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—will test aloe vera, ginseng, kava, and milk thistle.

Researchers are expected to take a close look at whether the substances are carcinogenic. …