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  • From: Мartin M <martinmikush@gmail.com>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] BBC News - New EU regulations on herbal medicines come into force
  • Date: Sun, 1 May 2011 15:58:27 -0700 (PDT)

This is just one of the many ridiculous decisiions of the EU
administrators, who apparently are living in some strange unearthy
world. Lets take the case of Bulgaria trying to implement these
regulations - it is so obvious that this is impossible - just take a
walk through a market in rural Bulgaria and some could get a better
idea about Brussels being out of sync with the reality , or maybe they
want us to live in theyr artificial reality or even worst - they want
to design the setting for total imprisonment of all of us who want to
live a real self- reliant, healthy and peaceful life. On the weekly
markets in rural Bulgaria ( part of the EU since 2007) farmers are
selling milk and home made cheese, vegetable plants for gardening,
dairy products ( goat , shep and cows cheese ) herbs and life animals
( chicken and pigs are regulars at the semi-legal market places) the
local govermment officers are tolerant to this practise and have
understanding. How the EU will try to kill this lively poor people's
options to feed and heal themselfs? they tryied to made us stop
smoking - didnt work , they tryied to make us stop making (moonshine)
liquour and it didnt work. now they try to kill the habit of having
herbal teas ??? law should follow the logic of life , not the logic of
anonymous interests!

I think that such discrepancies would lower the popularity of the
project , called European Union.
And then we will see a fast movemnt towards self- reliant existance
with no respect to any Brussels born order.

Martin M

On Apr 30, 7:19 am, "Lawrence F. London, Jr."
<venauraf...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
> What many have feared appears to be happening. Now, what kind of pitiful
> lamer politico/corporate sycophant weenie does it take to ban echinacea?
> TCM and Ayurveda too? Really pitiful creepy jerks. I hope they don't try
> this in the USA.
>
> Do not wait, the time is now to prepare for a self sufficient,
> independent and self reliant lifestyle. Grow your own medicinal herbs
> and food crops. Have at least a year's supply of homegrown foods on hand
> at all times.
>
> <>
>
> BBC News - New EU regulations on herbal medicines come into
> forcehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13215010
> 29 April 2011 Last updated at 19:44 ET
> By Dominic Hughes Health correspondent, BBC News
>
> New European Union rules come into force today banning hundreds of
> traditional herbal remedies.
>
> The EU law aims to protect consumers from possible damaging side-effects
> of over-the-counter herbal medicines.
>
> For the first time, new regulations will allow only long-established and
> quality-controlled medicines to be sold.
>
> But both herbal remedy practitioners and manufacturers fear they could
> be forced out of business.
>
> To date, the industry has been covered by the 1968 Medicines Act, drawn
> up when only a handful of herbal remedies were available and the number
> of herbal practitioners was very small.
>
> But surveys show that around a quarter of all adults in the UK have used
> a herbal medicine in the past two years, mostly bought over the counter
> in health food shops and pharmacies.
>
> The regulations will cover widely used products such as echinacea, St
> John's Wort and valerian, as well as traditional Chinese and Indian
> medicines.
> Traditional Herbal Remedy logo Herbal remedies that have been approved
> for sale under the new regulations will come with this logo
>
> But safety concerns have focused on the powerful effects of some herbal
> remedies, as well as the way they interact with conventional drugs.
>
> For example, St John's Wort can interfere with the contraceptive pill,
> while ginkgo and ginseng are known to have a similar effect to the
> blood-thinning drug warfarin.
>
>  From now on only products that have been assessed by the Medicine and
> Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will be allowed to go on sale.
>
> Manufacturers will have to prove that their products have been made to
> strict standards and contain a consistent and clearly marked dose.
>
> And to count as a traditional medicine, products must have been in use
> for the past 30 years, including 15 years within the EU.
>
> They will also only be approved for minor ailments like coughs and
> colds, muscular aches and pains, or sleep problems.
>
> Remedies already on sale will be allowed to stay on the shelves until
> they reach their expiry date.
> Free from contamination
>
> Richard Woodfield, head of herbal medicine policy at the MHRA, says so
> far there have been 211 applications, of which 105 have been granted
> registration.
> Continue reading the main story
> “Start Quote
>
>      We're very concerned that patients appreciate they must be very
> careful when they take these medicines and ideally should talk to their
> doctor or pharmacist”
>
> Prof Jayne Lawrence Royal Pharmaceutical Society
>
> "Crucially, this EU directive and the registration scheme puts consumers
> in the driving seat so they can identify that a product meets assured
> standards on safety, quality and information about safe use.
>
> "Safety speaks for itself, but quality means, are they using the right
> part of the plant? Is it free from contamination? Is the claimed shelf
> life suitable?
>
> "Product information will include possible side effects and interactions
> with other drugs, but above all it must make very clear that it is based
> on traditional use."
>
> And that is a key point for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, which
> believes the new regime is a step forward in improving safety and quality.
>
> But Prof Jayne Lawrence, chief science adviser to the society, says
> there are still some concerns about herbal products.
>
> "They certainly haven't been tested on the same basis as a conventional
> medicine and some of these compounds are very potent.
>
> "Patients might not realise that in some cases they should not take
> other medicines with them, or if they're going for surgery they should
> tell their doctors they are taking these particular medicines because
> there may be complications.
>
> "So we're very concerned that patients appreciate they must be very
> careful when they take these medicines and, ideally, should talk to
> their doctor or pharmacist."
>
> The manufacturers of herbal remedies have had seven years to prepare for
> the new rules after the European Directive on Traditional Herbal
> Medicinal Products was introduced in 2004.
> Too onerous?
>
> These regulations apply to over-the-counter sales, which form the bulk
> of herbal remedies sold in the UK.
>
> But some manufacturers and herbal practitioners have expressed concern,
> arguing the new rules are too onerous for many small producers.
>
> Michael McIntyre, chairman of the European Herbal and Traditional
> Medicines Practitioners Association, says there will be a significant
> impact on herbal medicine practitioners and their suppliers, but admits
> the rules do need bringing up to date.
>
> "Products that go on the market now will definitely do what it says on
> the bottle, while we didn't know how good they were in the past.
>
> "But registration is expensive so perhaps there may be fewer products on
> the market and a smaller range.
>
> "It's difficult to argue that the market should stay as it is, without
> any regulation, but how many businesses will pack up and walk away? I
> can't say."
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