Intended for healthcare professionals

Letters The herbalists’ marketeer

Herbal drugs and public choice

BMJ 2014; 348 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g4157 (Published 24 June 2014) Cite this as: BMJ 2014;348:g4157
  1. Michael McIntyre, herbal practitioner/acupuncturist1,
  2. George Lewith, professor of health research2,
  3. Andrew Flower, National Institute for Health Research postdoctoral research fellow2,
  4. Sarah Price, research fellow2
  1. 1European Herbal and Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association, Tewkesbury GL20 5TY, UK
  2. 2Aldermoor Health Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 5ST, UK
  1. ehap{at}globalnet.co.uk

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive (THMPD) do not promote herbal drugs or mislead consumers; they seek quality control and safety of herbal drugs.1 The THMPD does not guarantee efficacy; it describes traditional use. By granting traditional herbal registrations, the MHRA enables the provision of quality controlled herbal drugs that have a history of safe use.

Given the widespread use of herbal …

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