The European Union imposed new regulations in terms of licensing and marketing of herbal medicine. This rule is intended to protect consumers from possible adverse effects that endanger the health, mainly due to the use of herbal medicines are sold freely.
In the meantime, these new regulations would only permit the sale of herbal medicines has been widely known and quality assured. These new rules make herbal practitioners and herbal medicine manufacturers to be worried, because their business is threatened out of business.
So far, the herbal industry in Europe especially in England, not very developed due to relatively limited number of herbal medicines in addition to herbal practitioners was fairly still very small.
But according to survey results, nearly 25 percent of adults in Britain found to have used herbal remedies in the past two years. Most of these herbal medicines freely available in health food stores and pharmacies.
The new regulations will govern all types of herbal products including such popular herb echinacea, St. John's wort and valerian, as well as ingredients of traditional medicine in China and India. Traditional herbal products that have gained consumer approval can still be obtained by using a specific label or logo on their products.
The experts emphasize, for security reasons is the main concern of the use of herbal medicines. A very strong effect of how many kinds of herbal ingredients are feared to interact with chemical drugs.
One example is the herb St. John's wort can interfere with the benefits of the contraceptive pill. Herbs such as ginkgo and ginseng are also known to have the same effect on blood-thinning drug warfarin.
Currently, only drugs that have been examined by the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which should be sold in the market. The herbal drug manufacturers also must meet very strict standards, and the substances contained in the drug should be consistent and written with a clear dose.
To qualify as a traditional medicine, these products also have been used in the last 30 years, including 15 years in the EU region. These drugs were only allowed for some minor ailments such as coughs and colds, muscle pain or sleep disorders.
Richard Woodfield, MHRA herbal drug policy director, said so far it has received 211 submissions, and 105 of whom have been given the opportunity to register.
"Importantly, this EU registration scheme directs consumers to the control so that they can identify products that meet safety standards, quality and information about safe use. Trustable will prove, but the quality of means, whether they use it as an appropriate part of the plant? Whether the free contamination? Are the claims mentioned suitable? " said Richard.
Information products, he added, including the possibility of side effects and interactions with other drugs. But importantly of all, everything should be made very clear that its use based on the traditional, "he added.
In the meantime, these new regulations would only permit the sale of herbal medicines has been widely known and quality assured. These new rules make herbal practitioners and herbal medicine manufacturers to be worried, because their business is threatened out of business.
So far, the herbal industry in Europe especially in England, not very developed due to relatively limited number of herbal medicines in addition to herbal practitioners was fairly still very small.
But according to survey results, nearly 25 percent of adults in Britain found to have used herbal remedies in the past two years. Most of these herbal medicines freely available in health food stores and pharmacies.
The new regulations will govern all types of herbal products including such popular herb echinacea, St. John's wort and valerian, as well as ingredients of traditional medicine in China and India. Traditional herbal products that have gained consumer approval can still be obtained by using a specific label or logo on their products.
The experts emphasize, for security reasons is the main concern of the use of herbal medicines. A very strong effect of how many kinds of herbal ingredients are feared to interact with chemical drugs.
One example is the herb St. John's wort can interfere with the benefits of the contraceptive pill. Herbs such as ginkgo and ginseng are also known to have the same effect on blood-thinning drug warfarin.
Currently, only drugs that have been examined by the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which should be sold in the market. The herbal drug manufacturers also must meet very strict standards, and the substances contained in the drug should be consistent and written with a clear dose.
To qualify as a traditional medicine, these products also have been used in the last 30 years, including 15 years in the EU region. These drugs were only allowed for some minor ailments such as coughs and colds, muscle pain or sleep disorders.
Richard Woodfield, MHRA herbal drug policy director, said so far it has received 211 submissions, and 105 of whom have been given the opportunity to register.
"Importantly, this EU registration scheme directs consumers to the control so that they can identify products that meet safety standards, quality and information about safe use. Trustable will prove, but the quality of means, whether they use it as an appropriate part of the plant? Whether the free contamination? Are the claims mentioned suitable? " said Richard.
Information products, he added, including the possibility of side effects and interactions with other drugs. But importantly of all, everything should be made very clear that its use based on the traditional, "he added.
