It certainly seems that in recent years herbal style medicines have grown more popular and more widely available. I’m certainly not going to espouse the view that these medicines are a waste of time, that they do nothing or that they have no plausibility. However neither do I think that simply because they are seen as “natural” (whatever that means) that they are necessarily superior to drugs produced by pharmaceutical companies. The problem with herbal/natural remedies isn’t that there isn’t a plausible mechanism of action, (as in Homeopathy for instance) but that there is usually not enough good quality data to support their use for a particular indication. In addition, while drugs developed for the pharmaceutical industry must pass stringent safety and efficacy tests those that are labeled herbal supplements often get a free pass. So not only may there not be evidence that they work but no evidence that they are not harmful.
There also seems to be a disturbing corollary to promoting remedies despite lack of evidence and that is the continued use in the face of dis-confirming evidence. Recently good studies have been published refuting claims for benefits to taking either Ginkgo Biloba extract for cognitive function or Echinacea for colds. Though I expect this information to have zero impact on sales even if the results of the studies gain wide distribution.
Remedies that consist of preparations made from the raw plant also suffer from inherent variation between plants, both between individual plants and in the same individual over time. So even if there is an efficacious active ingredient the dose would not be controlled. If herbal remedies have an effect on the body then they are drugs, by definition, they should be treated as such. In other words they should be evaluated for safety and effectiveness, considered when taking other medications for potential interactions and dispensed by those who are trained to appreciate the risks/benefits and science based medicine.
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On “natural (whatever that means)”: I often wonder if everyone has forgotten that arsenic and cyanide are 100% all-natural. Sigh.
Indeed, the idea that Natural = Good seems quite pervasive at this point in time regardless of all the natural poisons in the world.
Regardless of the “stringent safety and efficacy tests” there are still plenty of drugs on the market that can kill you. I think peoples foolhardy embracing of herbal medicine reflects a deep and earned distrust of the current standards of medicine and what it takes to get a new drug on the market. They see a corrupt system and are attempting to take their health into their own hands. Companies definitely seek to capitalize on this and take advantage of peoples lack of trust and knowledge. The idea of “it’s all natural, how can it hurt?” is, without argument, a dangerous one, but attempting to apply our current safety and efficacy standards to the herbal field is a little misguided. No good can come of conforming to a broken system.
I have to disagree, if the system is broken then we should fix it. Even so it is still much better than nothing and to let drugs into the market that can not be shown to be effective or safe by even the flawed system we have now. Reading between the lines what you seem to be advocating is a “buyer beware” mentality while also removing any way for the buyer to objectively evaluate the claims being made.
I would also argue that the recent cases of the “drugs that can kill you” were found and removed from sale precisely because of this flawed system as part of the procedure is to continue monitoring after widespread use is in effect to see what the larger population reaction is.
So your proposal seems to me to fall down in two regards, not only would you remove the requirements prior to marketing but also the ability to recall medications if problems are found down the road as well.
If I have extended your argument beyond what you intended I’m sorry but this is what the implications of your words seem to me.
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