Table 1

Frequency, dosage and monthly cost of products recommended by 34 natural health food store employees

Product name
No. of stores providing recommendation
Cost for a monthly supply ($CAD)
Recommended daily usage
Type of product

Essiac
10
57.50 ± 18.07
1 cup
Herbal tea combination
Floressence
9
46.47 ± 18.50
1 cup
Herbal tea combination
Coenzyme Q10
4
34.24 ± 6.12
100 mg/day
Antioxidant
Ip6 (Inositol hexaphosphate)
4
60
12 caps/day
Antioxidant
Moducare
4
45.99 ± 18.38
As directed on bottle
Sterols/sterolins
MGN
3
433.33 ± 152.75
12 caps/day
Mushroom extract
Pau D'arco
3
20
As directed on bottle
Herb
Multivitamin
3
6.74 ± 3.17
1 cap/day
Vitamin
Ester-C
2
5.75
1 cap/day
Vitamin
Pycnogelol
2
33.99
1 cap/day
Antioxidant
Grape seed extract
2
43.50
1–3 caps/day
Seed extract
Vitamin C
2
5
5000 mg/day
Vitamin
Astragalus
2
14.99
As directed on bottle
Herb
Greens+
1
10.59
1 cup/day
Herbal combination
Breast Health Combination
1
126.00
6–12 caps/day
Herbal combination
Beta-carotene
1
2.00
10,000 mg/day
Antioxidant
Shark Cartilage
1
104.00
8 caps/day
Cartilage of shark
Cat's claw
1
24.89
As directed on bottle
Herb
RM-10
1
210.00
4–6 caps/day
Mushroom and herbal combination
Oregano oil
1
5.28
2 g/day
Herbal extract
Proanthocyanidin
1
24.99
1–2 caps/day
Antioxidant
Cancergo
1
69.00
2 caps t.i.d.
Herbal combination
Collagen slim
1
69.00
15 ml q.i.d.
Herbal combination
Mega B
1
9.66
1 cap/day
Vitamin
Oncolyn
1
115.50
3 caps/day
Botanical extract
Venus fly trap
1
N/A
N/A
Herb
Garlic
1
5.00
2–3 caps/day
Botanical
Vitamin A
1
6.00
50,000 mg/day
Vitamin
Vitamin E
1
6.00
400 IU/day
Vitamin
Mushroom extract
1
24.99
As directed on bottle
Mushroom extract
Maitake mushroom
1
75.00
As directed on bottle
Mushroom extract

N/A, not applicable. ±, where shown, are standard deviations.

Mills et al. Breast Cancer Res 2003 5:R170   doi:10.1186/bcr636