Nibbles.

* In 1989, an outbreak of eosinophilia myalgia syndrome (EMS) caused 38 deaths and often-irreversible muscle pain, fatigue, numbness, and tingling in more than a thousand people who took contaminated tryptophan supplements. Now researchers have found low levels of the same contaminant in samples of the popular dietary supplement 5-HTP (5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan). While the 5-HTP contained lower levels of the contaminant than the tryptophan that caused the 1989 outbreak, no one knows how little it takes to cause illness. Similar contaminants were also found in samples of melatonin. Consumers can call the FDA's MedWatch program at (800) FDA-1088 to report serious adverse effects of any supplements or drugs. Nature Medicine 9: 983, 1998.

* A 35-year-old woman who took 500 mg of St. John's wort a day for four weeks experienced stinging pain in her arms and other parts of her body that were exposed to the sun. The pain disappeared gradually over two months after she stopped taking the herb. Earlier reports have linked St. John's wort to skin rashes after sun exposure, but this is the first report of nerve damage linked to the "photoactive hypericins" in the popular "anti-depressant" herb. Lancet 352: 1121, 1998.