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Hundreds of herbal medicines will be banned from sale in the UK next year under what campaigners say is a “discriminatory and disproportionate” European law.
With four months to go until the EU-wide ban comes into force, thousands of patients face the loss of herbal medicines that have been used in the UK for decades.
From May 1, 2011, traditional herbal medicine must be licensed or prescribed by a registered herbalist to comply with the EU Directive passed in 2004. The directive was introduced in response to growing concerns about side effects caused by herbal medicines.
The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued more than a dozen safety alerts in the past two years, including the banned toxic plant derivative Aristolochia, which caused kidney failure in two women. Also includes warnings.
Herbal medicine experts argue that testing costs make it impossible for most herbal medicines to meet the same safety and quality approval requirements as pharmaceuticals.
According to the Alliance for Natural Health (ANH), which represents herbal practitioners, none of the products used in traditional Chinese or Ayurvedic medicine are approved. In Europe, around 200 products from 27 different plants are licensed, while in the UK alone he uses 300 different plants.
ANH estimates the cost of obtaining a license to be between £80,000 and £120,000 per herb. They say this is affordable for single herbal products with large markets, such as echinacea, a cold and flu treatment, but puts small producers of multi-herb medicines out of business. They say it will happen.
Under EU law, legally regulated herbalists will be allowed to continue prescribing unlicensed products. However, the Coalition government and the previous Labor government delayed plans to introduce a statutory herbalist registration system.
This means that thousands of patients who rely on herbal remedies face being denied access to them. Health authorities including the MHRA have warned that the move could lead to patients obtaining herbal medicines over the internet, which is a far greater risk.
Michael McIntyre, president of the European Association of Herbal and Traditional Medicine Doctors, said: “The problem is that many herbal medicines are grown in people’s backyards and cannot be patented, so they cannot be licensed. It’s serious. Patients want to be treated by trained and qualified doctors, but without regulation, they can’t trust who is treating them. The worst outcome is that patients want to be treated by trained and qualified doctors. It means you’re getting herbal medicine. There’s no control.”
Dr Rob Verkerk from ANH said: “Thousands of people across Europe rely on herbal medicine to improve their quality of life. They are not taking herbal medicine because they are sick, but because they are healthy. “You’re taking it to maintain yourself. If you’re on these medications,” he said. Once they are taken off the market, people will try to find them elsewhere, such as on the internet, but there is a risk of getting a low-quality product that doesn’t work or is contaminated with foreign substances. . ”
The MHRA announced that it had received 166 herbal product license applications, of which 78 had been approved. MHRA chairman Sir Alasdair Breckenridge said registering herbalists was essential. “Just because it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s safe,” he says. “It is very important that trained and responsible people prescribe these products.”
Ezzard Ernst, professor of complementary medicine at the University of Exeter, said proposed regulations would be meaningless unless they required healthcare professionals to follow the best evidence about the effectiveness of treatments. “We are in danger of regulating nonsense, which is bound to lead to nonsense,” he said.
He said a review of the code of conduct to which alternative medicine practitioners are bound had found that the “vast majority” did not include a duty to report adverse effects. The only exception was the Chinese Herbal Medicine Act, which advised members to report “cases of industrial poisoning or accidents.”
A Ministry of Health spokesperson said no decision had yet been taken regarding the legal registration of herbal practitioners. “The Government recognizes the strength of sentiment on this issue and is actively exploring options.”
Remedies under threat
cascara bark (Cascara Sagrada, Ramnus Pursiana)
Helps stimulate sluggish intestines.
pau d’arco (Tabebuia impetiginosa)
It has anti-inflammatory properties and is used to prevent infections.
ashwagandha (Withania somnifera, or winter cherry)
It has anti-inflammatory properties, prevents arthritis, and strengthens the immune system.
skull cap (Scutellaria baicalensis/Chinese Skullcap)
For reducing anxiety, headaches, and pain.
Meadowsweet (Filipendula Ulmaria)
For hyperacidity, diarrhea, and headaches.
horny goat weed (Epimedium)
Used to increase sexual desire.
