Herbal enhancers? Don't go bust

So-Called "Bust Enhancing" Herbal Products Get The Thumbs Down

You have probably seen a hundred tacky magazine ads or spam emails advertising breast enhancers. You know what we mean -- they say things like "the breast expands to amazing new proportions right before your eyes." But do they really work? A new commentary in a major medical journal says buyer beware!

Despite widespread advertising of herbal products purporting to increase bust size, there are neither published clinical trials nor any scientific data that demonstrate whether any of them actually work or are even safe, according to a commentary in the June issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD, at George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC, points out that various so-called 'bust enhancing' products contain a variety of ingredients, including grains, saw palmetto, black cohosh, chaste-tree berry, wild yam, kava, and dong quai, among others, some of which are known to have negative side effects.

While some ingredients have estrogen-like effects, none are expected to have a potent enough effect to increase breast size.

The commentary suggests that women should be discouraged from using these products, since there is no evidence that they work, and no information is available on long-term safety, according to Dr Fugh-Berman.