Coming EU ( and US ?) Ban On Herbal Medicines

[paulselhi]

I quote from the independant

Hundreds of herbal medicinal products will be banned from sale in Britain next year under what campaigners say is a "discriminatory and disproportionate" European law.


With four months to go before the EU-wide ban is implemented, thousands of patients face the loss of herbal remedies that have been used in the UK for decades.

From 1 May 2011, traditional herbal medicinal products must be licensed or prescribed by a registered herbal practitioner to comply with an EU directive passed in 2004. The directive was introduced in response to rising concern over adverse effects caused by herbal medicines.

The ANH estimates the cost of obtaining a licence at between £80,000 and £120,000 per herb

My guess is this is a scam by the big pharmaceuticals to 1. Increase their sales of their "safe" medicines and 2 kill the competition from alternative remedies

I wonder what effect this will have on BB suppliments. A supplier of TongKat Ali in the UK has told me that in effect without spending £100,000 it will be illegal to sell this in the EU

I would image the same for Tribulus extracts etc

[seasoned]

They passed a law DECADES ago to make this banning ILLEGAL in the US. It is a little known fact that vitamins, and those herbs, OFFICIALLY meet the criteria for DRUGS! DRUGS have to be regulated by the FDA, and that means PRESCRIPTIONS! But the government passed an act that basically says that food and supplements are to be considered OFF LIMITS! They don't really need to be tested, or clearly labeled, unless they use certain items. They HAVE since had to have certain labeling requirements, but are still treated like food.

Sadly though, the US is starting to really kill this idea! There is a bill that has been going through congress for a long time that CAME from europe and the end result will be getting rid of almost everything these supplement companies sell.

Steve