We’re doomed, aren’t we?
Herbal remedies are to be held to the same standards as other medicine.
Naturally, the loonies are up in arms about this, possibly because paying for testing will eat into their profits. Their comments are at the same time very funny (especially when people with a synapse to call their own take them to task) and depressing.
Have a look, and if you can bear to, have a giggle too.
I don’t feel like reading crazy internet comments, but at the risk of writing one, I actually don’t think anything that hasn’t been tested should be taken off the shelf entirely, as long as it’s clearly labeled which ones are tested. If I can buy oregano and thyme, I should be able to buy dried snippets of other plants – regardless of whether they’ve passed a Cochrane review.
If something is explicitly proven dangerous, though, then by all means, take it off the shelves. Same as happens with (other) foods.
Oregano and thyme aren’t being sold as medicines in my local Tesco. Yours might be different, of course.
No, that’s what I mean. Whatever passes a test as working medicine would be labeled, and the rest you can just buy of you want to, but it wouldn’t be "medicine" (unless proven poisonous/dangerous).
Ah but then you’re testing those (herbal) things by the same standard as you test mainstream medicine, and that’s Bad and Wrong and impinging on my RIGHT to do what I like, which PROVES you’re a Big Pharma shill.
Seems reasonable to me. I guess the point is that they shouldn’t be advertised as being capable of doing things we really have no evidence for.
Oregano and thyme make my food taste better. Jamie Oliver trials have proved it so. They replicated much of Delia Smith’s work, and Mrs Beaton’s earlier, classic experiments.
I notice, Mike, that Mrs Beeton’s famous work is now open access: http://www.mrsbeeton.com/
I’m now off to read ‘Chapter 1: The Mistress.’ Sounds exciting!
I do like a level playing field – so well done EU.
I’m pleased that it’s the 2nd opportunity I’ve had to mention Mrs B on NN this week, but dismayed to find that I spelt her name wrong both times. Excellent linkage, Richard.
Another point has occurred to me. Many of the "alternative" (i.e. unproven) healthcare remedies, at least here in Spain, are produced by apparently respectable Big Pharma
shillscompanies. This could be one way of subsidising testing and production of real medication. Not necessarily ethical, however.They also seems to have a different definition of ‘homeopathic’ here, with non-zero proportions of active ingredients advertised on the packaging. Perhaps the EU legislation will stretch to standardising this feature as well.
Can’t standardize Mike: that takes away your human rights dontcherknow.
And why should ‘ethical’ have any influence on what Big Pharma do? Money-grabbing bastards.
Curry, you’re a EU/Big Pharma shill too!!
I haven’t read the 320 comments over there, but this stuck out from the main article
which I have to disrespectfully disagree with, you turd-for-brains. Get yourself out to the woods and excercise your abilities in whatever way you see fit. Then get yourself back to primary school and learn how to construct a sentence. Sheesh.
And this statement completely misunderstands the best way for big pharma to make money
No, no, no. I imagine that Big Pharma makes most of their money through treatments for self-limiting diseases (as do herbal remedists). A long lived population makes much more money for Big Pharma.
No, what do you really think?
Richard, can I suggest an alternative title: "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Whine"?
haha! Awesome.
Nice one, Lou.
Some of the conspiracy madness about the Codex Alimentarius simply has to be seen to be believed. My favorite "The New World Order want to control your mind through food" conspiracist is this lady, who is married to one of the Original Men Who Stared at Goats.
Honestly, you couldn’t make this stuff up.
I hestitate to cast nasturtiums at—hell, no I don’t. Why are the people who get so aggravated at stuff like this also complete loons in other areas?
Wait, I think I just answered my own question.
As you’ve just seen, I get pretty aggravated at this stuff. I’m pretty sure Austin does as well having read his blogs on related issues. Just that we’re aggravated from the other side. The dark side.
Wait. Wodidyoujuscallme?
Yeah, I realize what I posted was ambiguous.
But you are a complete loon, right?
Yep, a complete loon, but only in all other areas. I’m a rationalist when it comes to calling out piss-poor logic and mumbo jumbo.
Therefore, I’m off to read Mrs B’s chapter on "Invalid Recipes".
"Cooking with Wheelchairs"
I see a great need.