EFSA Crackdown: Are You Taking ‘Illegal Drugs’ for Your Health, Without Knowing it?

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We all know the fate of the unfortunate frog placed in a pot of water on a stove as the temperature gradually rises. Before the poor creature knows it, it’s being cooked alive in boiling water...

Well guess what? It’s happening to you and me! With the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) slowly but surely clamping down on herbal medicine, before long our access to these traditional remedies — which have been used successfully to prevent and treat a wide range of ailments for centuries — will be completely blocked.

The EFSA is slowly turning up the heat...

Back in 2009 we warned our readers about the proposed European Union (EU) regulations threatening to eliminate and drastically reduce the effectiveness (as a result of lowered dosage amounts) of many essential herbs, vitamins and supplements commonly used today.

In April 2011, when the EU Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive (THMPD) is fully, thousands of products distributed by specialist herbal suppliers will become increasingly difficult, if not illegal, to sell.

In fact, things look so gloomy that Patrick Coppens, the secretary general of the European Botanical Forum, said it is unlikely any herbs in line for assessment would win positive opinions. A positive opinion after assessment, in laymen’s terms, means it’s been proved to do what it says on the bottle... according to the EFSA’s unrealistic standards that is.

That is exactly where the problem becomes a monster... herbs, vitamins, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurvedic medicine will all have to meet pharmaceutical good manufacturing practices (GMPs), in order to be legally sold. Meaning that alternative remedies that fall under these categories will have to prove their efficiency in the same way that pharmaceuticals do...

This may sound like a good thing, until you dig deeper and realise the whole process is fundamentally flawed.

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Like trying to put a square peg in a round hole...

So far, a range of eligibility and technical problems, along with prohibitive costs, has prevented any products from both Chinese and Indian traditions from successfully being registered under the THMPD. This has put other forms of alternative medicine practises like Unani, Tibetan, South- East Asian, Southern African, South American and other non- European traditions under serious threat.

The whole process of approval is laden with shortcomings. For example:

1. Discriminating against non-European herbal traditions: The EFSA requires at least 15 out of 30 years of usage within the EU, to prove long established traditional usage. This requirement supposedly upholds standards in Europe, implying that standards outside Europe may be lower than those within the continent. This poses a serious disadvantage for Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, South East Asian, Tibetan, Amazonian and Southern African traditions, which are among the longest and most developed botanically-based healthcare traditions worldwide.

2. Refusing particular combinations of herbal products: ‘Traditional use’ under the THMPD is based on use of an individual herb or specific combination of herbs and will prevent the use of new or innovative combinations that might be supported by emerging science.

3. Pharmaceutical criteria and good manufacturing practices (GMPs): As mentioned earlier, under the THMPD, manufacturers must meet pharmaceutical GMPs, including purity and stability criteria that are identical to those used in the case of conventional pharmaceuticals. These criteria cannot be met in the case of complex herbal mixtures. The kinds of studies requested are not available for traditional medicinal products and the cost of undergoing these studies is simply too expensive for small suppliers and manufacturers.

4. Traditional medicines can only pass registration if they are intended for minor ailments: While food supplements are able to be sold legally within the EU containing ingredients that support the health (or reduce the disease risk) of, for example, cardiovascular or neurological problems, these will not be allowed under the THMPD scheme for traditional herbal remedies. For example, gingko biloba is a well-known botanical remedy that has been extensively studied for its ability to treat circulatory diseases, and has particular value in the treatment of brain ageing.

5. Herbal products containing significant levels of vitamins and minerals will be prohibited and allowed only if the action of those nutrients is considered an addition to that of the herbal ingredients.

6. Increased cost to consumer will restrict our freedom of choice: Given that significant compliance costs will apply, this will make the cost of these remedies simply too expensive for many people to benefit from.

The impact of the THMPD scheme is much more far-reaching than the points I have mentioned above. In fact, I have not even touched on the fact that under the THMPD scheme, massive restrictions will be imposed on the maximum permitted doses of these natural remedies... One thing is clear though, the approach the EFSA has adopted is not appropriate for botanicals.

The stringent criteria for approval will see numerous natural products banned within a matter of years. The real nightmare will be felt in the UK around 2011, when the public will witness the greatest infringement on natural healthcare.

So far an exhaustive list of herbs and botanicals have been processed for assessment by the EFSA, including cranberry, lutein/zeaxanthin, green and black tea, Echinacea, sea buckthorn, rosehip, gingko, hibiscus, arnica and eucalyptus – all of these with known and proven health benefits... Imagine none of these products being freely available anymore? For those that rely on their therapeutic effects, it will be a severe blow if they are banned.

According to an EFSA spokesperson opinions on these herbs and botanicals will be published at the end of September or beginning of October... We will definitely keep you posted... However, whilst I don’t like to play devil’s advocate, I won’t hold my breath for the EFSA to acknowledge the irrefutable value of these health products...

Get involved today

The last thing we want to do is look back in anger and regret in a few years’ time when things have changed for the worst, and our right to choose how we want to take care of our health has been taken away.

We must act now, which is why I urge you to please go to the following page:

Alliance for Natural Health

Dr. Robert Verkerk from the Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) is working around the clock to ensure that your voice is heard and our freedoms protected.

When you visit the ANH website, on the page ‘Getting Involved’ there is a template letter under the heading ‘Use your Democratic Right’, ready to print and sign, which you can send to your local MP.

This is a very effective way to use your democratic right and campaign with the Alliance for Natural Health against the European Commission's draconian proposals.

Get involved today.

To read more about the EU regulations threatening ancient traditions such as Chinese, African and Indian medicine practices, follow the link below:

Act Now! There is Still Time to Turn a Potential Nightmare Into a Natural Health Revolution

Building a community

Earlier I mentioned our dear friend the frog landing in the hot water... Most of you will agree that we don’t want to end up in the same position – regretting the fact that we did not do anything whilst we still could.

With the EFSA clamping down on herbal medicine, now is the best time to get the word out there to as many people as possible. A great way of doing this, is through social networking sites like Facebook.

The Health Sciences Institute has created its own Facebook fan page called The Healthier Life... join the natural health revolution. If you are a Facebook user, I invite you to become a member of our fan page today.

Not only is this an excellent way to interact with like- minded people across the globe, but you can easily share life-changing health tips with your friends and family by inviting them to join the fan page too!

In fact, I am so geared-up to make this natural health revolution a global phenomenon that I will give every new fan a FREE REPORT,  to download. Please note this offer is only available to members of our Facebook fan page...

Simply click on this link, login in to your facebook account and follow the instructions on our fan page.

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"It is truly refreshing to read a newsletter on the topic of alternative medicine which is scientifically based and reviewed by professionals………" - Robert Sinott

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Sources:

‘Pressure against EU herb laws mount’ published online 01.09.10, anh-europe.org

‘EFSA set to mass reject 100s of herbal health claims’ published online 27.08.10, nutraingredients.com