#Grapefruit seed extract pregnancy full

Main article: List of drugs affected by grapefruit Opens a new window I'm not saying stop eating grapefruits, but be cautious when taking Rx, especially of these so-called 'extracts!' It is very dangerous for those taking Rx's to take any grapefruit containing product since it can increase the potency of many drugs. There is some evidence that the actual, natural, extract of the grapefruit seed (pulp and its juice) does contain some beneficial properties, but these are very small and there are other ways to get larger quantities of these without risking Rx overdose. Now there are GSE's out there which now boast of containing NO added synthetic preservatives, but these were found ineffective against microbes and fungi in lab tests.Įither way, it is not a 'natural,' substance, but one derived through a synthetic 'secret,' process that the companies will not divulge.

#Grapefruit seed extract pregnancy full

Does that make sense? Now why would an antimicrobial extract, presumably powerful, in its full strengh, need a preservative? The Grapefruit Seed Extracts that were found to have significant antimicrobial properties were also found to contain preservatives. Here's some info from a Naturopathic Clinic (also at the bottom of the Wikipedia page): Opens a new window These chemicals were not present in grapefruit seed extracts prepared in the laboratory Opens a new window, and GSE preparations without the contaminants were found to possess no significant antimicrobial effect. Opens a new window Opens a new window Opens a new window Some samples were shown to contain up to 22% benzalkonium chloride by weight, despite the known allergenicity Opens a new window Opens a new window and toxicity Opens a new window Opens a new window of the compound at higher doses. Independent studies have shown that commercial preparations contain the compound benzalkonium chloride Opens a new window, which is a synthetic antimicrobial commonly used in disinfectants and cleaning products, the related compound benzethonium chloride Opens a new window, the antibiotic triclosan Opens a new window, or the preservative methylparaben Opens a new window.

Opens a new window Opens a new window Opens a new window Opens a new window Opens a new window Nevertheless, as a result of marketing by manufacturers in the health food arena and a few misinterpreted studies conducted in vitro that tested contaminated extracts which were not pure GSE processed without solvents or brands which are known to contain preservatives, the controversy Opens a new window over the effectiveness of GSE continues even when studies conclude – self-made pure GSE has no natural antimicrobial properties and commercial GSE has been identified with contamination from synthetic preservatives. Here's some stuff from Wikipedia that may be helpful: That article is a good start! There is also an interview with Richard Perry, Citricidal's manager: Thanks for bringing up this topic! I've gone around several posts explaining why GSE is bad, from what I've learned, but it's still widely used.