Dr Nicole Saphier, President Donald Trump's nominee for surgeon general, markets an herbal supplement that includes an ingredient prohibited by the US military and associated with potential liver damage, according to health experts.
Saphier’s involvement in selling dietary supplements, which face minimal regulation in the United States, has drawn criticism from medical professionals and consumer advocates. Some have accused her of peddling what they describe as "snake oil."
Amazon has initiated an investigation into the products following inquiries from the Guardian regarding their compliance with the company's policies on supplement sales.
Dr Peter Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a food and health watchdog, stated: "Nobody who prides themselves as rigorous about science is in the supplement business." He has been a vocal critic of what he terms "grifters" within the wellness industry, particularly those aligned with Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr's Make America Healthy Again (Maha) movement, which he claims sells poorly regulated supplements with unsubstantiated claims.
The surgeon general is regarded as America's doctor, tasked with conveying the best scientific information to the public regarding health improvement. Previous surgeons general have issued significant warnings on tobacco use and educated the populace about Aids.
Saphier is a radiologist specializing in breast cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New Jersey and a former Fox News contributor. She is Trump's third nominee for the position, following two earlier candidates who failed to advance in the Senate.
Saphier and her company, Drop RX, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in an email: "Dr Nicole Saphier is an accomplished physician who has practiced radiology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering and has been an outspoken voice on breast cancer prevention, intrusive COVID-19 mandates, the politicization of science, and the federal government's role in America's chronic disease epidemic. She will be a powerful asset for President Trump and work tirelessly to deliver on every facet of his Maha agenda."
Richard Carpiano, a public health scientist and professor of public policy at UC Riverside, expressed concern that a nominee for a role heavily reliant on trust would profit from selling "pseudoscientific" products. He noted: "The US surgeon general should be a highly trusted position as America's health communicator, bringing to bear the best science, the scientific knowhow. If she's willing to push these kinds of wellness products, what else might she push along the way?"
Promoting Products
Saphier has been marketing products under the brand Drop RX since at least 2024, according to a Guardian review. The brand has offered at least nine formulations, including Allure, Boost, Relief, Sleep, and Intimacy. Labels describe Drop RX as "physician formulated" and suggest potential benefits. For example, Focus is "designed to support overall brain health," while Calm is "designed to support a balanced mind and body."
The Drop RX website links directly to Amazon, where two formulations, Calm and Focus, were available for sale until recently. The Guardian purchased both products for $24.99 each shortly after Saphier was announced as Trump's pick. The liquid comes in a 2oz glass bottle with a dropper, and the label recommends using "1-2 dropper fulls daily under tongue or diluted in a beverage."
On Wednesday, the Guardian inquired with Amazon and Saphier about Drop RX's listings. By Thursday, several listings had been removed, and those remaining were listed as "currently unavailable" and not purchasable. Amazon stated: "We are investigating the compliance of the products in question and will take appropriate remediation actions."
In the past, Saphier promoted the products on her Instagram account. In a video posted in June 2025, she asked: "Did you see a new study that came out this week? The more rosemary and sage you have in your diet it actually lessens your risk of Alzheimer's disease. Good news! Drop RX's Focus already has liquid rosemary and sage in it to promote your brain health. So we're already ahead of that trend."
In another video in August 2025, Saphier described her morning routine, which included making tea from her Boost and Intimacy products. "Intimacy. I know how it sounds," she said with a smile, calling it a "natural aphrodisiac" and "great for hormonal support."
Unlike her other products, the Guardian could not find Intimacy listed on Amazon.
In a post that surfaced in a Google search but is no longer available on her Instagram account, Saphier said she was putting a "care package" of Drop RX liquid herbs together for Trump "as he continues to heal from his gunshot wound."
Saphier's employer, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), one of the world's most renowned research hospitals, has a conflict-of-interest policy that prohibits "endorsement of products or commercial ventures." MSKCC did not respond to multiple messages seeking comment on whether Saphier is in compliance with the hospital's policies.
A Concerning Ingredient
The first ingredient listed in Drop RX's "Calm" formulation is kava kava root. Also known as kava, the ingredient was added to the US Department of Defense list of prohibited dietary supplement ingredients in April 2024, "based on the possibility of impairment and subsequent threat to military readiness," according to a department spokesperson.
The spokesperson added that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first issued a consumer advisory in 2002 expressing concerns about liver damage associated with kava use. The FDA published a 29-page review of the scientific literature in 2020, highlighting safety concerns about kava.
Kava can be legally sold in the US but has been banned or restricted in some countries, including the UK, France, and Switzerland, due to concerns about liver toxicity. US rules vary depending on whether it is mixed with other substances and where it is sold. For example, kava is sometimes sold as a tea, but New York state does not allow food establishments to serve it because it is considered an adulterant. However, New York does not restrict the sale of kava on its own as a nutritional supplement, according to a state health department spokesperson.
Consumer advocates raised additional concerns about Drop RX. ConsumerLab.com, which independently tests health and nutrition products, has reviewed thousands of dietary supplements and publishes a list of "red flags" to watch for. After reviewing Amazon listings for two Drop RX products at the Guardian's request, its president, Tod Cooperman, stated they exhibited the number one red flag: labels that don't specify the amount of each ingredient. The two products purchased by the Guardian listed ingredients such as organic ginkgo biloba extract, organic Bacopa monnieri, and organic lavender, but did not indicate how much of each was in the bottle or per dose.
"We prefer that consumers buy products where you know what's actually being provided," Cooperman said. "Most supplements will tell you, will break out how much of each ingredient." Although the labels stated the products were made in the US and used good manufacturing practices, they did not specify where they were made or provide any indication that a third party had verified those practices.
A Growing Market
Supplements are a growing but controversial segment of the wellness market. Leading figures in the Maha movement have courted the industry, which is estimated to have reached $72.9 billion in sales in the US in 2025. However, unlike drugs and pharmaceuticals that undergo rigorous testing, dietary supplements do not have to be proven safe and effective before marketing, according to Lurie. This means many supplements do not work, do not contain the ingredients they claim, contain harmful ingredients, or all of the above.
Unlike drugs, dietary supplements are generally not allowed to make health claims, such as treating a specific disease. However, they can make structure or function claims, such as providing "immune support" or that "calcium builds strong bones." Lurie said a reason many supplements fall into this category is that no one has proven they are effective and provide a health benefit. "If it were, somebody might take it and try to make it into a drug, right? Because then there's good money to be made. Even better money to be made," he said.
Saphier, he said, is the latest Trump pick to back such products, which he believes "tells you something about the quality of science that they are likely to implement."
