Herbs and the EU - What you need to know

First off let me apologise by stating something right away. We don't know what the situation will be post April. More to the point NO ONE knows what the situation will be, and anyone who claims they do is lying through their teeth.

For those of you not quite up to speed let me break it down for you:

• As of the 1st May 2011 you won't be able to legally buy herbs that haven't been licensed through an organisation called the MHRA.
• This piece of legislation is called the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive.
• The MHRA called for stricter manufacturing standards and guidelines placed on all herbal medicines.
• What actually happened (and this is purely my personal opinion) is that the MHRA succeeded in raising a lot of money for Europe at the cost of consumer choice.
• At present it is being challenged by various groups, but time is running out.

So ranting and raving aside, what this basically means is that your choice of herbal medicine is going to be vastly reduced. What was intended as filtering out the worst offenders (not mentioning any names but the quality of products endorsed by a certain Welshman have been the stuff of industry legend for decades) has turned into decimating what was always a small industry. With heavy hands the MHRA applied the same bullish measures that they take on the pharmaceutical industry.

http://www.channelonline.tv/channelonline_jerseynews/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=492917

All may not be lost however as there is last minute toing and froing over the legality of the scheme and it's devastating anti-competition effects. However judging by the fact that companies within countries that aren't even members of the EU have been affected by this legislation (Jersey, Guernsey etc), with rumours flying that the islands financial institutions (which provide the overwhelming majority of the countries income) would come under fire if the local government didn't step in line. Ready to exploit the situation however, Healthspan themselves in the video for Jersey News are quoted that 'as smaller manufacturers drop out due to the licensing costs its herbal business will grow'.

As the current system stands, you are also going to lose perhaps entirely Chinese, Ayurvedic, South American and any other herb that cannot be proved to have been used within the past 15 years. Only an organisation as bloated and young as the European Union could justify in the name of 'safety' the complete ban on hundreds of herbs that have been used safely for thousands of years.

Now comes the cost, not only to the manufacturers but to the state. To the manufacturers this can be anywhere between £20,000 and £120,000 per product. Guess where that cost gets to be recouped, that's right the consumers pocket. One can only assume that all this money raised is going to be used towards monitoring, restricting and seizing (http://www.gaia-health.com/articles301/000333-germany-requires-prescription-for-herbs.shtml) dangerous herbs. Is that not the very definition of a self perpetuating bullshit machine?

To summarise the effects that we expect to take effect:

• 99% Of the existing herbal products in the market will disappear
• Increased costs of the remaining products to cover the licence fee
• More additives and chemical 'nasties' finding their way into the remaining products
• A secretive organisation of black clothed secret police incinerating fields of dandelions with flamethrowers
• (Your experiences may vary)

There is a saying being thrown around the industry at the moment which goes like this:

Q. What's the difference between Solgar Milk Thistle on the 30th of April and Solgar Milk Thistle on the 1st of May?

A. Nothing, but in May it cost them £80,000 more.