Reply to: “Herbal tea consumption and the liver – All is not what is seems!”

To the Editor:
We would like to thank Drs Philips and Augustine for their valuable comments on our study on coffee and tea consumption in relation to liver health in the general population. [...] We understand that, especially in Asian countries such as India (where the authors work) and China, consumption of herbal compounds may be more widespread, may be part of traditional medicinal remedies and may involve complex and potentially hazardous preparations.
Therefore, it is important to understand the study population we have examined. The participants in our study were nearly all community dwelling elderly Caucasians, who generally follow a traditional Dutch diet. [...]