Herbal substances or alternative medicines are known to be 100% pure, natural, and completely safe for the human body. These forms of treatment are not wholly supported by science, since some of them have extraordinary claims of being able to treat almost all forms of diseases and health problems. Those herbal medicines with such claims may easily be recognized as sham products, and there may certainly be no form of medicine that can “cure all”.
Nonetheless, there are a lot of alternative solutions to a lot of medical problems. Take biotin for instance. The vitamin is a known alternative cure for dry skin, seborrheic dermatitis, brittle fingernails, and hair loss or alopecia. However, there are no scientific proofs for all these claims. Maybe for brittle fingernails, biotin is a certified cure, but for the other health problems mentioned, there are no actual tests and studies that support the claims. But there are some doctors who prescribe the vitamin as a form of treatment for their patients who suffer from the aforementioned health problems. Many of them suggest biotin specifically for the treatment of alopecia or hair loss.
Perhaps the supplement is effective, perhaps not. As an herbal solution, biotin should be natural and completely safe to use. But is this proven? Does biotin have any side effects? If so, what causes it and how can it be avoided? If biotin is a genuine herbal medicine, why does it have a side effect?
As of now, there have been no studies performed to actually exhibit the side effects of the vitamin. There are also no known side effects of biotin. But some people are reporting that they experienced some side effects when they took the vitamin, and the side effects stopped when they stopped taking the supplement. Some of these include skin problems and acne outbreak. In such case, the problem is not actually with the use of the vitamin, as there are really no possible side effects caused by the intake of the vitamin since it is present in many foods that we eat everyday. The real problem lies on the amount of dosage that the individual takes.
The recommended amount of biotin intake daily is 300 micrograms or lower. For children, 5-12 micrograms are required, for adult males 25 micrograms, and for adult females 30 micrograms. These amounts are according to the U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). More than 300 micrograms is considered an overdose for any individual. As a natural substance, overdosage may not be significant and there may not be any harmful effects, but in the case of biotin, it is different.
The fact is biotin should not decrease or increase in the recommended daily dose. When biotin is lacking, it causes biotin deficiency. But when biotin is excessive, it causes different bodily dysfunctions. The vitamin is a member of the B complex group, and it is stored and processed in the gut like other B vitamins. When there are too high amounts of the vitamin in the gut, it can compete with the absorption of the other B vitamins, specifically vitamin B5 or pantothenic acid. This results to the incorrect absorption of both vitamins, both of which are essential in maintaining healthy skin. Because the skin is their common denominator, it is the most affected part of the body, and the result is the appearance of dry skin and the outbreak of acne. The best solution for this is to take proper doses of the supplement, which is most advisable at the amounts of 2,500 micrograms if used for the treatment of health problems or biotin deficiency, and 300 micrograms if used as a supplement to maintain optimal health.
If you plan to use biotin as a treatment, make sure that you buy supplements with 2,500 micrograms only. If you plan to use it as a supplement alone, make sure that you only take 300 micrograms daily. That way, you can save the trouble of suffering from the side effects of biotin overdose.