The EU Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive (THMPD), signed and ratified by the UK government in 2004, came into force on April 30th 2011.
However confusion is rife amongst consumers, retailers and manufacturers as to what it actually means - will unlicensed stocks be withdrawn, will consumers have fair choice of product or will an elite group of wealthier manufacturers lay claim to herbal remedies?
The good news is that many herbs are sold under license so we are not without a herbal supply.
What's actually banned?
Safe but not tested?
License applications to the MHRA cost in the region of £50,000 (a prohibitive fee for many smaller herbal remedy producers) and registration is granted once safety and tradition of use are bonafide, but not efficacy - so opponents of the Directive claim the public are non the wiser and still buying on faith - as they always have.
Pharmaceutical puppets?
The underlying fear is that many smaller independent producers of traditional herbal remedies (THRs) will struggle to find the license fee while the big pharmaceuticals will put a strangle hold on the supply chain of herbal remedies and control the potency and efficacy of age cures, or replace them with synthetic alternatives - resulting in the Big Pharma domination of both prescribed and alternative health products.
So far, the UK MHRA has received 211 applications and issued 105 THMPD registrations. Small numbers compared to the plethora of herbal remedies currently available.
Fighting the ban
Various groups are challenging the directive, most notably the Alliance for Natural Health Europe (ANH-EU). They have raised over €100,000 to pay for legal costs to fight the Directive, while Aavaz.org, one campaign group amongst many, have gathered over 1/2 million signatures in just 2 days.
Their petition reads, "As concerned EU citizens, we call on the Commission to amend the THMPD Directive, suspending the draconian measures against herbal medicines and removing all barriers to traditional remedies with a long history of use inside and outside Europe." Click to sign
Supporting the ban
Dr Hilary Jones, an advocate of herbal medicines and mouth piece for Taking Herbal Medicines Seriously (a subsidiary of Schwab Pharma UK) believes the license will encourage more widespread use of herbal remedies. "The clear information on the packaging of registered products will make it easier for people to understand what each herb does," he says.
Licenses herbs
While the ban gets underway and confusions get ironed out, don't be put off. Popular every day herbal remedies such as Valerian, St John's Wort, Devil's Claw and Milk Thistle are registered and available. If it's more info on herbal remedies you're after, click here
However confusion is rife amongst consumers, retailers and manufacturers as to what it actually means - will unlicensed stocks be withdrawn, will consumers have fair choice of product or will an elite group of wealthier manufacturers lay claim to herbal remedies?
The good news is that many herbs are sold under license so we are not without a herbal supply.
What's actually banned?
- The ban outlaws herbal remedies that have not been on the market for 30 years, and this includes Chinese, Ayurvedic and African medicine.
- Only herbal remedies licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) can be sold in the UK (other EU countries have similar regulatory agencies)
Safe but not tested?
License applications to the MHRA cost in the region of £50,000 (a prohibitive fee for many smaller herbal remedy producers) and registration is granted once safety and tradition of use are bonafide, but not efficacy - so opponents of the Directive claim the public are non the wiser and still buying on faith - as they always have.
Pharmaceutical puppets?
The underlying fear is that many smaller independent producers of traditional herbal remedies (THRs) will struggle to find the license fee while the big pharmaceuticals will put a strangle hold on the supply chain of herbal remedies and control the potency and efficacy of age cures, or replace them with synthetic alternatives - resulting in the Big Pharma domination of both prescribed and alternative health products.
So far, the UK MHRA has received 211 applications and issued 105 THMPD registrations. Small numbers compared to the plethora of herbal remedies currently available.
Fighting the ban
Various groups are challenging the directive, most notably the Alliance for Natural Health Europe (ANH-EU). They have raised over €100,000 to pay for legal costs to fight the Directive, while Aavaz.org, one campaign group amongst many, have gathered over 1/2 million signatures in just 2 days.
Their petition reads, "As concerned EU citizens, we call on the Commission to amend the THMPD Directive, suspending the draconian measures against herbal medicines and removing all barriers to traditional remedies with a long history of use inside and outside Europe." Click to sign
Supporting the ban
Dr Hilary Jones, an advocate of herbal medicines and mouth piece for Taking Herbal Medicines Seriously (a subsidiary of Schwab Pharma UK) believes the license will encourage more widespread use of herbal remedies. "The clear information on the packaging of registered products will make it easier for people to understand what each herb does," he says.
Licenses herbs
While the ban gets underway and confusions get ironed out, don't be put off. Popular every day herbal remedies such as Valerian, St John's Wort, Devil's Claw and Milk Thistle are registered and available. If it's more info on herbal remedies you're after, click here