03-11-2011, 22:08
The European Directive is already in effect since May of this year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Directive_on_Traditional_Herbal_Medicinal_Products
The Directive has been challenged all the way up to European Court, and upheld.
There are two remaining issues:
1) The "herbalist exemption": a herbalist can prescribe an unlicensed herbal remedy. The question is then: who is a herbalist? Professional organisations, especially in the UK, and the UK Department of Health are working on lists of registered practitioners.
2) All herbal medicines must be manufactured according to the same standard as pharmaceuticals: Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). In May of this year, supplement manufacturers were hiring GMP experts. I guess the only place where they could find them was in pharmaceutical companies.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Directive_on_Traditional_Herbal_Medicinal_Products
The Directive has been challenged all the way up to European Court, and upheld.
There are two remaining issues:
1) The "herbalist exemption": a herbalist can prescribe an unlicensed herbal remedy. The question is then: who is a herbalist? Professional organisations, especially in the UK, and the UK Department of Health are working on lists of registered practitioners.
2) All herbal medicines must be manufactured according to the same standard as pharmaceuticals: Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). In May of this year, supplement manufacturers were hiring GMP experts. I guess the only place where they could find them was in pharmaceutical companies.