The European Union has introduced a new law by which the consumers using herbal products for medical remedies are informed of the composition of the drugs, toxicity levels and the safety of these drugs by the manufacturers. The new directive will provide consumers with labelled information about the quality and safety of the herbal drug.
The new directive will not allow registering of the new drugs without approval about the usage, quality and safety of the herbal drug is tested and validated by an independent agency. The government adds that before the directive was introduced, reputable companies following high standards were left at a commercial disadvantage while consumers were potentially at risk from unsafe products.Experts View:
Prince of Wales Government report had shown willingness to the use of herbal medicines in the NHS as several doctors are confident and interested to prescribe herbal medicines to their patients suffering from back pain and stress as these herbal drugs were found to have less toxic and side effects compared to synthetic drugs. The Patients Associations wanted the doctors to provide information and access to the use of complementary medicines such as herbal medicines for their treatment.
Christopher Smallwood, Economist said, “Patients with conditions such as back pain and stress can benefit from some of the therapies using herbal remedies”.
Source: BBC News.
