Medicines agency warns that ‘natural’ does not mean harmless
Sweden’s medicines agency is warning against assuming that “natural” health products are harmless, after a survey found that 84 per cent had little or no knowledge of the differences between supplements and herbal medicines.
Läkemedelsverket released the findings on Monday. Novus interviewed 1,073 people aged 18–84 online on 6–12 November 2025; these are not interviews conducted this week.
The survey covered knowledge of herbal medicines, traditional herbal medicines and food supplements. The agency says similar-looking products face different requirements for evidence, safety and quality. Unlike medicines, supplements are not reviewed by an authority before reaching the market.
Plant-based products can cause side effects or alter the effects of medicines, the agency warns. It advises consumers to check what a product is and what it is intended to do, and to contact healthcare if uncertain or if the expected effect does not occur.
The released finding concerns knowledge. It does not establish how many people suffered harm or whether the knowledge gap caused an injury.
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