Banning Herbal Remedies

I need more information on this before I reach for my gun unnecessarily. According to Novopress (and a slew of articles in English all over the Internet), the European Union will ban all plant-based medications as of April 2011! What is this about? I don't follow the daily goings-on of the EU, but I happened to see this and my eyes popped.

Here is the article from Novopress:

In five months, practically all plant-based preparations, as well as the right of herbalists to prescribe them, will be forbidden in the European Union. This is a victory of the multinational pharmaceutical industry over safer and traditional medicines.

It's the result of European Directive 2004/24/CE that modifies Directive 2001/83/CE for products that have as their base traditional medicinal plants (THMPD), adopted on March 31, 2004 and slated to go into effect next April 1. The text regulates the use of plant-based products, traditionally known for their health benefits, which were formerly readily available.

The directive stipulates that all plant-based products will henceforth be subject to the same procedures as medicines. And little does it matter that a plant has been in common use for thousands of years. These procedures are particularly costly - according to the estimates, the cost will vary from 90,000 to 140,000 euros per plant. Most producers of medicinal plants will find this cost impossible to bear.

Here we have a decision where health is clearly not the main objective. The main objective is to protect the world of free trade by favoring Big Pharma and Agribusiness.

Novopress wonders if they will next ban tomatoes grown in our own gardens.

In America it has been a long and continuous struggle to keep herbal medications on the market. Politicians are frequently bombarded with demands from their constituents to vote against any bill that would subject herbs to government regulation. So far, it's been a close call, but now with the EU lowering the boom, it may be only a matter of time before we face the same ordeal.

I am very much in favor of herbal medicine as an OPTION, not as something forced on you. People are different, and each person reacts differently to different herbs. Much of alternative medicine is herbal based. I take a compound that contains plants - marigold, tomato, carrots, black berries, etc... for my eyes. So far I do not have macular degeneration or glaucoma. I do have cataracts, but the product does not claim to prevent cataracts. I also take a "super food" - a powder containing a multitude of herbs and vegetables, that provides some basic vitamins and minerals. Recently I took milk thistle and artichokes as a liver cleanse. And now I take an iron supplement made from beets.

The herbal remedy business has to regulate itself without interference from the FDA, because ultimately federal regulation will kill the herbalists for reasons described above. We will have to get prescriptions for these products, for one thing, and often FDA regulations insist on certain additives and molecular manipulation that result in a far worse product than the one made by a reputable vitamin/herbal manufacturer. I stress REPUTABLE, because herbal companies, like others, can cut corners and sell a corrupted product.

Millions of people in America use alternative medicine, if not exclusively, as a complement to regular therapies. Millions of people in America suffer terrible (sometimes fatal) drug reactions and allergic reactions to prescription drugs. Millions of people in America are addicted to prescription drugs. So the alternative therapies are a very user-friendly and welcome option. They are not for everybody and they are certainly not for every illness. But they should be available without hassle.

One of the world's most famous herbalists is a Frenchman named Maurice Mességué:



Maurice Mességué (born 14 December 1921, in Colayrac-Saint-Cirq) is a well-known French herbalist and author of several best-selling books on herbal medicine and cooking with herbs. In his autobiography he claims to have treated, among others, Winston Churchill, President Herriot of France, All Khan, King Farouk, Jean Cocteau, Chancellor Adenauer of Germany, and the future Pope John XXIII.

In 1971, he was elected the Mayor of the town of Fleurance.

Mességué practiced a form of herbalism passed down through his family. Some of the practices involve, among other things, soaking the patient's feet in a strong decoction of locally gathered herbs. (Source: Amaluxherbal)

His autobiography is entitled Of People and Plants.

Maurice Mességué is mentioned in many of the books I own on herbs and herbal medicine. I wonder what his thoughts are on this new freedom-destroying directive from the loathsome European Union.

The photo of Maurice Mességué is from Babelio.

Read through this English-language article for information on petitions and contacts.

Note: I hope it's clear that I am not encouraging anyone to act foolishly. Taking herbs requires knowledge, either from an herbalist, a good set of text books, friends with direct experience or doctors who practice integrative medicine. I have done a fair amount of experimenting on my own, but that is me. I don't expect anyone to imitate me. I am not a doctor or a scientist. I intuitively felt that natural alternatives to prescription drugs were a benefit, if the prescription drug caused unbearable side-effects or was ineffective. But the natural way is not always effective either, so the patient has to try more than one option.

My feelings on herbs like medical marijuana are very mixed. People high on pot can be a danger to others. This is not true of chamomille or milk thistle or artichokes or beets or grape seeds, etc... Therefore some regulation is necessary. But to legalize medical marijuana may make the problem worse, since there will be no way of knowing for sure that the "patient" really needs it. The doctor prescribing it may become almost an accomplice, just as doctors are who prescribe large doses of tranquilizers and uppers and downers, etc... On the other hand, medical marijuana may really relieve pain in cancer patients. I don't know enough about this...

Quick update: Here is another English-language article dated September 12. It covers the same material and adds that it's a done deal if there is no major protest between now and April.