"This is a damning revelation of the sheer scope of unlabelled, unverified, unchecked, likely AI content that has completely invaded [Amazon's] platform, wrote Michael Fraiman, author of the study. There's a huge amount of herbal research out there right now that's absolutely rubbish, said Sue Sprung, a medical herbalist in Liverpool. AI won't know how to sift through all the dross, all the rubbish, that's of absolutely no consequence. It would lead people astray."
"Natural Healing Handbook's author is named as Luna Filby, whose Amazon page describes her as a 35-year-old herbalist from the coastal town of Byron Bay, Australia and founder of the brand My Harmony Herb. Sarah Wynn, the founder of Wildcraft Journal, calls the book a resource and an inspiration. However, neither Luna Filby, My Harmony Herb, Wildcraft Journal or Sarah Wynn appear to have any online presence beyond the Amazon page for the book an indication, said Fraiman, that they may not exist."
A scan of 558 Amazon herbal remedies titles published between January and September found 82% were likely AI-generated. The prevalence spans bestselling self-help and skincare herbal guides marketed with personal backstories and branded identities. Several book pages list creators and brands that lack any online presence beyond Amazon, suggesting fabricated profiles. Detection tools flagged many samples with high confidence and identified stylistic red flags such as emoji and nature-themed names. Medical herbalists warn that AI-generated herbal content can spread unverified, poor-quality guidance that may mislead readers and pose health risks.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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