The Banning of Herbal Remedies throughout Europe

[sunshine]

http://blog.energyawareness.org/science-and-politics/bad-medicine-attacks-herbal-remedies/

 

EU gives a poisoned May Day gift to its citizens - makes herbal remedies ILLEGAL

 

 

 

EU May Day Ban on Herbal Remedies Happy May Day!

 

. . .which is not so happy for the citizens of Europe. Today, on labour day, all across France, friends, neighbours and loved ones will give each other the time-honoured May Day gift of a pot or sprig of beautiful Muget (Lily of the Valley) as a token of appreciation and well-wishing for the coming year.

 

A tradition said to have begun when King Charles IX of France was presented with these fragrant flowers as a token of luck and prosperity for the coming year; who then began the custom of presenting Muget to the ladies of his court each year on May 1st.

 

Sadly, the new 'King,' the European Commission, isn't such a benevolent personage and is giving a very unpleasant May Day 'gift' this year to all its citizens. Through its Traditional Herbal Medicine Products Directive it is, effectively, making illegal, simple herbal remedies such as St John's Wort, Hawthorn, Milk Thistle, Horse Chestnut, Valerian, Echinacea and many many more, including ayurvedic and traditional Chinese Medicine remedies, as well as combination herbal remedies and those with significant vitamins and minerals in them.

 

All things many of us routinely take. But, unless herbal manufacturers can comply with expensive, onerous and, in many cases, discriminatory and impossible to meet 'licensing' criteria the herbal remedies they produce or sell will be prohibited and no longer able to be sold. i.e. you will no longer be able to get or use them.

Take Action against the ban on herbal remedies

 

Read our view on this insidious EU directive here (herbs are just the beginning by the way . .)

 

 

Bad Medicine Attacks Herbal Remedies

 

and use the links there to take action today. Avaaz have already collected almost half a million signatures in just two days (only 1 million needed according to Article 11 of the EU Treaty on Citizens' Initiatives) and the ANH have got permission for a judicial review in the UK High Court which they intend to progess to the European Court of Justice.

 

Please like the article, also put it on your Facebook page, tweet and re-tweet it, email it. The power of viral democracy is considerable in the war against the 'post-democratic' rule of multi-national corporations and their allied political interests.

 

Wishing you a free and energy-ascending day,

 

Stephen & Lynda

Life Energy Awareness

Edited May 1, 2011 by sunshine

[effilang]

Obviously, because they are better than their overpriced government issued versions?

[Friend]

Edited November 16, 2011 by Friend

[Dagon]

wtf?

[宁]

Anyone has the original official statements?

Usually the situation is not that bad, just agravated by rumours

[Dagon]

I agree, that does sound pretty bad! I really couldn't see the people standing for that.

 

Only allowing synthetic chemicals for treatment of ailments? That is absurd!

[sunshine]

Anyone has the original official statements?

Usually the situation is not that bad, just agravated by rumours

 

Unfortunately the situation is even worse, my friend... as you know I have a medical background... not too long ago I started training in Kampo... Japanese Herbal medicine... and as it is health practitioners (not MDs though) already can't prescribe certain powerful formulas as one or two key herbs already got "banned"... without these herbs the formulas have lost their effect... pretty clever move by government and likely pharmaceutical industry reps... and MDs arent there enough practicing that kind of medicine... so I see German pharmacy stores not being interested in making those formulas in the future as it won't mean beneficial profit compared to what to invest...

And taking the power away from people has already been going on in the backgrounds for years... I DO hope enough people will sign against these laws happening further.

 

I do hope...

 

Harry

[Dagon]

It does seem to be true.

 

http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&hl=en&source=hp&q=Europe+and+banning+medicinal+herbs&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&fp=f98e57853df6fcf3

[宁]

Harry, Hi,

 

i heard it another way. seems that any naturopathic product that exists on the market needs to be CERTIFIED, and the banning is applied only to the products that don't have that specific CERTIFICATION... which i'm told is quite expensive, around 100.000 E

 

i would still like to see HOW is this banning formulated by the officials

 

let's hope still

[Dagon]

[Uncle Screwtape]

Just adding to the most recent reply, really, that in the UK, at least, registered herbalists who have been educated to degree level will be able to continue to prescribe medicines that would otherwise be banned. I don't think this is such a bad thing as it will ensure basic standards for the consumer, who, as things stand, often have to take pot luck. The same option is available, I assume, to practitioners all over Europe.

 

About 18 months ago I asked every UK-based member of Tao Bums to write to their MPs and to fill in the consultation form. Six million did, all in all, and it worked. So to those here who made the effort, thank you. At least on behalf of the herbalist girlfriend I was with at the time who still has a career it seems.

[Dagon]

So it's not so much of a BAN as it is a regulation of them.

Edited May 1, 2011 by Dagon

[Uncle Screwtape]

So it's not so much of a BAN as a regulation of them.

 

If you're not regulated by your government then they are banned. If you are regulated then you can go on prescribing them. Practioners in the UK have been going for regulation as a way around the EU directive for more than ten years. The recent round of emails about this issue never made it clear that regulation was the answer. Instead they called for the directive itself to be scrapped, but that was never going to happen. I think it would be more helpful if people knew that there is another option; one that is more likely to succeed. But it takes a long time and a sympathetic government. The previous UK government (Labour) promised regulation then went back on it. The Conservatives got in and pressed ahead with it.

 

What I would urge people to do is to put pressure on their governments to regulate practitioners. In the UK, practitioners were all for regulation.

 

I know people with experience of herbal medicines and who are not qualified will resent not being able to buy them over the counter any more but at least you know now that soon, if you go to a practitioner, they are qualified and experienced and prescribing medicines that are what they say they are and will not harm you.

 

So it could be worse.

 

Richard

[effilang]

It's becoming too much...

 

World-wide revolutions are going to be a necessity soon.

 

Get MAD!

[sunshine]

The same option is available, I assume, to practitioners all over Europe.

 

Unfortunately this is not the same here in Germany as stated further up in my "Kampo-mail"... registered health care practitioners with a degree who up until recently could prescribe can't any longer certain formulas... and what tends to happen is: if they manage to stop you having your foot in one door they work their ways through to closing many more...

 

just a thought

 

Harry

[Uncle Screwtape]

Unfortunately this is not the same here in Germany as stated further up in my "Kampo-mail"... registered health care practitioners with a degree who up until recently could prescribe can't any longer certain formulas... and what tends to happen is: if they manage to stop you having your foot in one door they work their ways through to closing many more...

 

just a thought

 

Harry

 

Registration with a professional body is not enough. They need to come under statutory regulation by the government. Then they will be allowed to keep prescribing medicines. It is the same all over Europe. It's the same directive for all of us.

 

Plus, you can still mix your own medicines.

 

Richard

[VCraigP]

Unfortunately this is not the same here in Germany as stated further up in my "Kampo-mail"... registered health care practitioners with a degree who up until recently could prescribe can't any longer certain formulas... and what tends to happen is: if they manage to stop you having your foot in one door they work their ways through to closing many more...

 

just a thought

 

Harry

 

 

Hey everyone. Dont Under react. This is a distinct move to take self care away from folks. No TCM remedy has yet been approved under this regime? This is seriously bad knews for the many many TCM practitioners and patients. Also under these regulations, as alluded to in Sunshines OP dosages of vitamins have been severely limited to undermine any hope for effective use in any serious deficiency. This regulation "Codex Alimentarius" I believe is intended to be implemented in the US as well. Oh Well. They can't take Qigong away from us...

 

Craig

[zerostao]

some folks may find it useful to begin networking soon.

underground herbalists.

[Desert Eagle]

Edited May 2, 2011 by Desert Eagle

[joeblast]

I'm sure you guys know how I feel about abuses of regulation most often hurting the very people they purport to help, helping the very people they purport to "keep in check..."

[Ya Mu]

Hey everyone. Dont Under react. This is a distinct move to take self care away from folks. No TCM remedy has yet been approved under this regime? This is seriously bad knews for the many many TCM practitioners and patients. Also under these regulations, as alluded to in Sunshines OP dosages of vitamins have been severely limited to undermine any hope for effective use in any serious deficiency. This regulation "Codex Alimentarius" I believe is intended to be implemented in the US as well. Oh Well. They can't take Qigong away from us...

 

Craig

I think that you are correct - This is on our doorsteps here in the USA and could happen at any time.

 

Oh, there very well may be an attempt to regulate qigong first in the form of regulation of medical qigong. That is the reason I am an ordained minister. I can always say I am just praying for the patient.

[宁]

Harry, Hi,

 

i heard it another way. seems that any naturopathic product that exists on the market needs to be CERTIFIED, and the banning is applied only to the products that don't have that specific CERTIFICATION... which i'm told is quite expensive, around 100.000 E

 

i would still like to see HOW is this banning formulated by the officials

 

let's hope still

 

See above ^^^

 

The banning will not include herbal medicine that have been on the market for a long time, and time-tested. However, they will include indeed Chinese and Indian herbs, as it seems they haven't been officially certified.

In my country at least, there are tons of herbal products that will escape this so called banning. And yes, we're in the EU.

 

[johndoe2012]

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Directive_on_Traditional_Herbal_Medicinal_Products

 

Under the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive, a company needs to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the herbal medicine through traditional use within the EU for at least 30 years or 15 years within the EU and 30 years outside the EU

 

ha ha, that's a good one. If this was applied to western medicine, we would be left with penicillin.

 

Herbal medicines must be now manufactured under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) to ensure the quality of the finished product and also demonstrate safety

 

GMP as invented by the pharmaceutical companies.

 

Unfortunately lobbyism is not strictly regulated (!) in the EU so we see these kinds of tricks from the industry.

 

On another note, the degree of synchronisation of laws in EU and US is getting larger it seems. Hopefully the EP will reverse their stance on this issue.

 

must say the EU is going the wrong direction and has for some time.

 

http://www.wariscrime.com/2008/09/14/video/the-european-union-the-new-soviet-union/

 

I think France is the only country where the government fears its own people due to their willingness to strike. All other countries, including mine, have become complacent and lazy

 

The economic crisis in EU is however a good sign that we are heading for a collapse of the union and towards independent states again.

[VCraigP]

I think that you are correct - This is on our doorsteps here in the USA and could happen at any time.

 

Oh, there very well may be an attempt to regulate qigong first in the form of regulation of medical qigong. That is the reason I am an ordained minister. I can always say I am just praying for the patient.

Yep

 

I have a friend who is an intuitive and apparently (according to my wife) a powerful energy worker. She got ordained as well. Good way to go, have been contemplating it myself.

 

Respect.

 

Craig

[zerostao]

any prohibition of the herbs will drive the prices up further.

prices of many herbs have been rising astronomically the last few years already.

i am sure the black-marketeers will be happy to have the herbal bizness

as a lucrative source of income.