[MPWG] Safety et al

[Lori Carns]

So many important points over the past day...  I will
begin by saying that this forum is a unique gathering
of individuals who represent most facets of the herbal
industry.  Just by having these important
conversations, we are setting change into motion.  I
personally feel that if I want to see the "face" of
herbal medicine change, I must rely on myself to do
it, one step at a time.  If others of you feel the
same, it only follows course that we come together and
create the space for this to happen.  We have the
potential to design a new professional organization
for the sake of our beloved plants and the public.

There are excellent arguements for and against
governmental regulation of herbal products.  I think
the arguements for it have been well stated here.  The
issue is much more complicated from an herbalist's
perspective.  If the regulations are written by people
who do not truly understand herbal medicine, they are
written in ignorance and will end up hurting people in
the end.  To me, "the government" is like the guy who
passes gas and then points the finger at someone else.
 I don't trust that guy with the health of our
country.  They have allowed pharmaceutical companies
way too much money and way too much control over
individuals' health.  And they blow "adverse
reactions" to herbs, which usually can't even be
proven, way out of proportion.

While the average manufacturer absolutely needs
regulations to ensure that its products meet quality
and safety standards, what about the herbalist, who
mixes her own formulas in her own apothecary?  There
is a huge difference between a large company that is
in it for money, and an individual who is in it to
help people.  You can also add smaller manufacturing
companies run by herbalists to the mix.  Inappropriate
regulations can drive the smaller (honest) companies
out of business and make it illegal for an herbalist
to dispense herbs.  <-- key point!

Herbalism is not just about giving someone a medicine.
 It's about recognizing what plant(s) will be of
greatest benefit to an individual.  It is extremely
frustrating to know that a specific plant will help a
person, but that I can't give it to him because it's
illegal.  And it is equally as frustrating when that
plant is endangered because of overharvesting!  It all
comes back to ignorance.

We know that wild-growing plants have different
chemistry than cultivated ones, and that each plant
naturally has variations in in it's constituent
ratios.  These variations and synergy between
constituents matter, which is why herbalists use whole
plants.  People need variety in order to maintain
physiological flexibility.  There is the example of a
pacemaker.  A person with a pacemaker has a steady
heartbeat, always exactly the same.  A person without
a pacemaker has a relatively erratic heartbeat,
because that person is able to adapt to stressors and
changes in physiology.  I liken regulated herbal
products to a pacemaker--they are sometimes
appropriate, but they completely remove this naturel
variety and flexibility.

How can we find resolution?  I think it all begins
with forums like this, and by talking to people,
educating them about these issues.  The more people we
can get to understand what is going on, the better
chance we have of creating change.

In Partnership,
Lori Carns

Lori Carns
Herbalist, Clinical Intern
Tai Sophia Institute
Laurel, MD