Dangers lurk among herbal remedies

By LORNA DUCKWORTH

New Zealand consumers are among those who may be endangering their health by taking inappropriate herbal remedies.

Britain's National Institute of Medical Herbalists, the world's oldest body of practising herbalists, says consumers are buying over-the-counter products that could end up doing them more harm than good.

Institute president Trudy Norris said some people sought no advice about which remedies were right for them and others risked serious side-effects by taking a cocktail of remedies alongside conventional drugs.

Some consumers bought poor-quality products that had the wrong balance of ingredients or that contained chemical extracts in much higher concentration than would be found in natural plants. Other remedies, particularly Chinese ones, were contaminated with steroids and heavy metals.

Similar problems have been reported with supplements sold in New Zealand. The Ministry of Health is working with its Australian counterpart on a proposal to set up a joint agency to regulate the manufacture, distribution and sale of healthcare products, including dietary supplements.

The agency would replace New Zealand's medicines regulatory body, Medsafe, and Australia's Therapeutic Goods Agency and charge for the service.

A working party will report to the Government by Christmas.

Those involved in the industry, which is worth between $90 million and $200 million a year, strongly oppose the move.

At the moment, dietary supplements fall under the Food Act 1981, which specifies permissible dosages and labelling requirements. Supplements can be linked with therapeutic purposes only after they are approved under the Medicines Act 1981, which classes herbal remedies as medicines, at a minimum cost of $8000.

As a result, many supplements are accompanied by pamphlets which state the claims their labels cannot.

The warning from the British institute, which was founded in 1864 and which represents 550 qualified herbalists, follows several alerts about the safety of herbal medicines.

Ms Norris said: "There are some obvious limitations to buying over-the-counter remedies, since herbs can sometimes cause more harm than good if used inappropriately, just like other kinds of medicine.

"While we are not against commercial herbal remedies bought for self-medication, we do urge people who use these products to find out as much as possible before self-prescribing.

"This is particularly important if you are pregnant, taking any other form of medication, or taking over-the-counter remedies for anything other than minor ailments. It's preferable to see a qualified medical herbalist."

More than 80 per cent of all herbal medicines sold in Britain are unlicensed because the industry, which has enjoyed a boom in recent years, is unregulated.

- INDEPENDENT

Further reading:
nzherald.co.nz/health