ANH responds to EFSA Accusation of Legal Threat.

international | consumer issues | opinion/analysis

Tuesday March 27, 2007 11:58

by Chris Murray

and some useful updates......

The Alliance for Natural Health filed nine applications to Annex 1 of the EU Food Supplement
Directive and a further six to annex II in Late Feburary and early March 2007.
The primary subjects of the applications were natural vitamins and minerals
which were ommitted from the Directive's Annexes ('positive list').

On the 16th of March , the ANH informed the EU Commission that it had filed the
applications and would scrutinise it and the European Food Safety Authority's
(EFSA) procedures with regard to their evaluation.

Alliance for Natural Health Logo.

This scrutiny , ANH indicated , would be in accordance with the process made clear
by the European Court of Justice (ECJ), in it's ruling on the ANH case in July 2005.

The story is at link:- http://www.alliance-natural-health.org

The EFSA made no comment on the 16th of March, but released comment through

Nutraingredients.com Europe.

They have accused ANH of threatening the EU Commission.

(etc).

Other issues arising:- The EU want to ban tea tree oil in case we get a rash, as it banned
John's Wort Oil.

These are ingredients that have been used with knowledge long before the issue
of patents and control mechanisms for consumer choice were even dreamt of.
Most information and campaigns on our choices and the bodies ability
to heal is available through local health shops and complementary practicioners.

ie- its about choice.

The Homeopathic hospital in London is being shut down also, will add in link later.
There has been some little mainstream media coverage on the issue over the
last few weeks particularly on the Homeopathic hospital in the Guardian newspaper.

save preference

Comments (2 of 2)

April first

by C Murray

Sun Apr 01, 2007 11:23

who put the monster raving loony party logo over me
beautiful leafy????

I can only presume it was someone with an editorial privlege.

hahahahah.
put the logo back.

St Johns Wort

by pat c

Tue Mar 27, 2007 12:18

"The EU want to ban tea tree oil in case we get a rash, as it banned
John's Wort Oil."

St Johns Wort should not be mentioned in such a flippant manner. It is used in the treatment of depression. While I disagree with its banning, it is not suitable for everyone who suffers from depression. The mention of a rash is to say the least, unfortunate.

Some herbal practicioners are responsible and will caution and counsel their clients on what to take. Others are crystal waving new-age yahoos who will dispense anything they can make a profit from.

Some controls are necessary to make people aware of its potential benefits and possible dangers. It is not a miracle cure.

Despite Numerous Studies, Final Verdict Still Not In On St. John's Wort And Depression

The original studies of St. John's Wort conducted in the early 1990s concluded the herb was at least more effective than a placebo when treating the symptoms of depression and, in some cases, as effective as prescription antidepressants.

Since then, numerous tests have been conducted on St. John's Wort in the U.S., most notably a 2001 multi-center study that, at the time, was considered one of the most rigorous studies on the herb to date, with results published in the May 2001 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

The "findings weren't very promising for advocates of the herb," according to Dr. J. R. DePaulo Jr., author of "Understanding Depression," which was published in 2002, shortly after the studies findings were made public.

Since that time, however, there have been other studies that contradict this.

For example, a 2006 study involving 150 patients with minor depressive symptoms found that St. John's Wort had a clinically significant effect in patients with minor depression, but not those suffering from dysthymia (a chronic, less severe form of depression lasts for at least two years).

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ANH responds to EFSA Accusation of Legal Threat.

Comments (2 of 2)