Common Knowledge and F.A.Q.:07.Are herbs medicines or dietary supplements?
In the United States, herbs are legally classified as dietary supplements under the DSHEA legislation, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (See DHSEA: What are the Key Provisions? elsewhere on this web site for more information about DSHEA). Under DSHEA regulations, herbal medicines are regulated as dietary supplements, and are subject to strict controls regarding the kinds of claims that can be made for their therapeutic uses. Marketers of herbal products are allowed to make "structure-function" claims for herbal products, but are not allowed to claim that the herbs can be used to diagnose, cure, or prevent any disease.
Structure-function claims are restricted to statements regarding how an herb or supplement may affect some structure or function of the body, as opposed to specific diseases. Structure-function claims must also, under DSHEA, be "true, balanced, and not misleading", which means that the claim must be supported by scientific evidence, and the marketer must also note any safety concerns, side effects, or adverse effects, as well as positive benefits.
For example, a marketer of a St. John's Wort extract may claim that it "promotes a positive mood," but cannot claim that it can be used to treat mild depression, even though it is frequently used for exactly this application. Depression, however, is recognized as a disease, and therefore, under DSHEA, no claim can be made that an herbal supplement can treat it.
DSHEA legislation was crafted as a compromise between marketers' desire to make strong medical claims for their products, and the FDA's desire to prohibit "drug claims" for herbal products. In some sense, therefore, the legal classification of herbs as "dietary supplements" is a regulatory fiction (although not always; some herbs are taken to supply needed nutrients in the diet).
The fact is, many herbs do have medicinal or therapeutic properties (as do many foods) and, in practice, they are used in much the same way that medicines are used.
The information that an herbal products company can put on their labels is relatively restricted under DSHEA rules. The labels alone, and literature written by the company, cannot and does not tell the whole story. This is one reason why it is important to seek additional information regarding the uses, safety, and therapeutic applications of herbal supplements written by credible independent sources. The monograph set published by INPR entitled Natural Dietary Supplements: A Desktop Reference (available by subscription on this web site) is one good place to begin. Also, FAQ_8 lists a number of excellent reference resources that consumers can use to become informed about the uses and therapeutic properties of herbs.
Claims & Warning:
Claims: Information this web site presented is meant for Nutritional Benefit and as an educational starting point only, for use in maintenance and promotion good health in cooperation with a common knowledge base reference...Furthermore,it based solely on the traditional and historic use or legend of a given herb from the garden of Adonis. Although every effort has been made to ensure its accurate, please note that some info may be outdated by more recent scientific developments......
Pharmakon Warning: The order of knowledge is not the transparent order of forms and ideas,as one might be tempted retrospectively to interpret it; it is the antidote....(Dissemination,Plato's Pharmacy,II.The Ingredients:Phantasms,Festivals,and Paints;138cf. Jacques Derrida.).
And as it happens,the technique of imitation,along with the production of the simulacrum,has always been in Plato's eyes manifestly magical,thaumaturgical:......and the same things appear bent and straight to those who view them in water and out,or concave and convex,owing to similar errors of vision about colors, and there is obviously every confusion of this sort in our souls.And so scene painting (skiagraphia) in its exploitation of this weakness of four nature falls nothing short of witchcraft (thaumatopoia), and so do jugglery and many other such contrivances.(Republic X,602c-d;cf.also 607c).
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Common Knowledge and F.A.Q.:07.Are herbs medicines or dietary supplements?
In the United States, herbs are legally classified as dietary supplements under the DSHEA legislation, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (See DHSEA: What are the Key Provisions? elsewhere on this web site for more information about DSHEA). Under DSHEA regulations, herbal medicines are regulated as dietary supplements, and are subject to strict controls regarding the kinds of claims that can be made for their therapeutic uses. Marketers of herbal products are allowed to make "structure-function" claims for herbal products, but are not allowed to claim that the herbs can be used to diagnose, cure, or prevent any disease.
