A company in Britain that sells herbal medicines was convicted last week under the Cancer Act 1939 of making illegal claims about one of its products. Eladon Ltd, which operates from Bangor, north Wales, was fined pounds sterling 500 and ordered to pay pounds sterling 3500 costs after being found guilty by magistrates in Whitminster of contravening the act in its promotional material.

Eladon's product, Elagen, is an extract of Siberian eleutherococcus, a root widely used by doctors in Russia, where it is credited with curing a wide range of ailments. The claims about its efficacy were sent to potential customers who had …