How safe are herbal medicines? In 2011, just over a billion dollars was spent on alternative medicines in Australia, many of which come with unproven efficacy claims.  , cancer 'cures' and the like, there's a call for increased scrutiny about what's being offered to the public in the name of 'health supplements'. Murdoch University Biochemistry Lecturer Dr Garth Maker is seeking to shed some light on the subject of herbal medicines. If you're in Perth,  To download the campus map click , or to us the interactive map please click . *************************** A quick note about supporting the podcasts! Check out  – and consider  Thanks to RTRFM for their support, especially producer Peter Barr. Theme songs “Cosgrove” by Pogo, from and “Leap Second” by Milton Mermikides, of  Additional ambient music from Jukedeck – create your own at .  – they include: Steven, Andrew, Dr T, Paul, Gerry, Josh, Kathy, Linley, Gold, Iggy, Lukas, Finch and Andrew. Thanks to everyone who contributes and please consider joining to help continue these shows at  Please leave positive comments and reviews on iTunes and consider supporting the show via visiting  – and I’d love to get your feedback via tokenskeptic@gmail.com.