Herb Consults

Is there really a conspiracy to ban herbs?

Since the Codex Alimentarius Commission was formed in 1963, the group has been suspected of conspiracy. Consumers were alarmed that this international regulatory Codex, adopted by the World Trade Organization, would limit their choice in dietary supplements. The controversy keeps popping up online, where outdated information plagues worried readers.

Over the years, consumers have been concerned that this group would force legislation on the United States. The topic is especially inflammatory because, although not related to the Codex, the concern—limited access to supplements—is valid. Confounding the issue is the easy e-mail and long-term data storage of the Internet. According to www.snopes.com, the ubiquitous online myth-busters, two versions of a bill proposing the regulation of dietary supplements that were introduced in 2003 (but not even voted on) gave rise to a 2005 e-mail that continues to circulate, warning that, “your right to choose your vitamin, mineral and other supplements may end.”

The Codex doesn’t really affect dietary supplements, as most countries treat them as drugs. The United States puts vitamins and minerals in the food category, but that is a unique regulatory category. Ultimately, the Codex, formed by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), is a standardizing force in the international trade of food goods.  Read more... (313 words, estimated 1:15 mins reading time)

Pamela Bond recently reported on the natural products industry criticism of a new research review published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (02-01-2010) that warned of dangerous herb-drug interactions that some herbal supplements can cause in heart disease patients taking prescription drugs.

“The errors and problems in this paper are too numerous to list completely at this time,” said Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the Austin, Texas-based American Botanical Council. “While there are potential and actual interactions that various herbs can have with drugs used by patients with cardiovascular diseases, this paper will do little to improve professional awareness and skill in this area.”

In a press release, the American Botanical Council specified several errors in the published study:

• Latin names for herbs are missing. For example, the authors don’t clarify the species of ginseng discussed. Many ginseng species “cause varying pharmacological effects,” noted Blumenthal in the release.
• Some herbs labeled in the study as “commonly used” are not generally available in the U.S. dietary supplement market.
• Capsicum is listed as being used for shingles, trigeminal, and diabetic neuralgia. But the over-the-counter and prescription drug capsaicin, a compound derived from chili peppers (Capsicum spp.), actually is used for those purposes.

“There are more [flaws],” said Blumenthal, adding that the study “should not have been published in its present form without serious additional edits, revisions and deletions, and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology would be advised to retract it.”  Read more... (513 words, estimated 2:03 mins reading time)