by Effie Moore Salem

Created on: June 23, 2007   Last Updated: January 16, 2009

Yes, the FDA should regulate natural supplements and herbal remedies. Yesterday, Legislation was passed giving The Food and Drug Administration the right to set standards on Herbs and other dietary supplements: They must be free of contaminants, (pesticides, microbes, and not empty or less amounts claimed.)

Also, there will be strict scrutiny of the industries to see if the plants and warehouses are up to FDA standards; and, watched closely will how records are being kept and how claims and accusations are being processed.

No longer will just anyone be allowed to set up a business of selling herbal remedies, etc. Up to now it has been lucrative business with hardly any restrictions.

The first legislation giving the FDA power to regulate was in 1994; yesterday, legislation allows for restrictions; however, all aspects of the herbal supplement industry will have until 2010 to fully comply.

Are these restrictions the same as for drugs? No, they do not have the extensive testing requirement. And that's what prompted Senator Richard J. Durbin to comment: "better late than never...the rules do not go as far as they should have".

A January 2009 update: Although the FDA has had the power to regulate supplements, recent headlines show that the problem of why they are not doing such a good job at keeping potential danger away from the American Public. Nanotechnology is one big problem they face states one 2007 headline. And exactly what is nanotechnology? These questions were raised by Science Daily.

Nanotechnology is the "engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale". In other words it's being able to work from the smallest upwards. This is making it difficult for the government to assess the accuracy of what is thought to be contained, or so the alarmist claims.

Yet the easy way anyone can set up health food stores and sell supplements while making all kinds of claims has become a lucrative business and makes for all kinds of copy cat businesses. The use of these new technologies to appease the FDA is not easy detective work for those who must see what's said is true.

At the same time, it is easy to see how some potential dangerous herbs and supplements can be allowed free rein to sell and to advertise in any way they want. Simply because something is an herb does not mean it is not poisonous. Many of the drugs used in pharmaceuticals are from plant sources and many of these if used in sufficient amounts and not used according to the doctor's instructions are deadly.

I would advise anyone who is out to cure themselves by herb therapy to use only those known to be safe. While they may or may not cure the ailment, there is comfort in knowing they are doing no harm.

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