UK herbal practice is in peril!
Please help to save it...
Please write to your MP to ask for
the Government to introduce
statutory regulation for herbalists
without delay!
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In February 2011, the Secretary of State for
Health announced that UK herbalists were to be
statutorily regulated. He pledged that, subject to
the usual procedures, the Department of Health
(DH) would have this ready by 2012.
Two years later the DH has failed to publish the
draft legislation and there is no sign of
progress. This delay is deeply damaging to the
development and delivery of safe herbal
medicine practice across the UK.
Failure to implement statutory regulation for
herbal medicine practitioners is disastrous 
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Practitioners have lost the right to
prescribe many commonly used herbal
medicines
The public has lost access to a wide
range of herbal medicines available from
practitioners for more than 40 years.
Loss of the right to supply many herbal
medicines is driving many herbal
practitioners and their herbal suppliers
out of business. Crazy in these times of
economic hardship!
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The Government is failing to heed the
implications of the recent horsemeat
scandal when lax quality control led to
massive loss of public confidence in the
sale of meat products.
Only statutory regulation can ensure that
the public has access to trained
professionals and is protected from
bogus practitioners and substandard
herbal remedies. Without SR the public is
at risk!
Well regulated professional guidance on
the use of herbal medicines will make an
important contribution to public health as
the NHS budget is subject to increasing
pressure. Herbal medicine offers a cost
effective alternative for many common
conditions.
In short, statutory regulation is clearly in
the public interest!
Please write or contact your MP as soon as
possible and say that “the only arrangement
that meets my needs is for the Coalition
Government to honour its promise and
complete the statutory regulation of herbalists.”
When writing to your MP, please also add a
personal reason for supporting statutory
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regulation (e.g. “I use herbal medicine” or “I
find herbal medicine effective to treat many
ailments”). In this way you will personalise your
reply ensuring it has maximum impact.
If you care about herbal medicine, please do not
miss the opportunity to support this ancient
and priceless healing system.
Today herbal medicine remains very popular. A
survey commissioned by the government
medicines regulator showed more than a
quarter of the population had bought herbal
medicines over-the-counter in the previous two
years and that one in twenty had consulted a
practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine
whilst around one in twelve had consulted a
practitioner of Western herbal medicine.
The Government appears to be dragging its feet
because of a perceived need to fit in with EU
legislation and not grant ‘authorised healthcare
professional’ status to herbal practitioners in
order to maintain the medical status quo. This
is exactly the kind of thing that makes people
incensed about Brussels’ bureaucracy. The UK
Government could readily resist pressure from
Brussels if it had the will to do so!
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The decision to introduce statutory regulation
for the herbal profession was taken after two
public consultations that demonstrated massive
public support for this measure. In addition,
statutory regulation was endorsed by two DH
Committees under independent chairmanship.
In 2011, the Secretary of State declared that the
decision to implement the statutory regulation
of herbal practitioners marked ‘a significant
milestone’.
Please don’t delay – write in support of
statutory regulation and make the
Government honour its promise...
Thank you very much for doing this...
About Herbal medicine
Did you know that herbal medicine is one of the
most ancient forms of medicine, used the world
over?
Today scientific research is backing the traditional
use of remedies that have been used for thousands
of years. For example, research now indicates that
St John’s wort is effective for mild and moderate
depression, ginger is good for nausea and valerian
and hops can help you sleep. Although, of course,
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natural doesn’t guarantee safe, most herbal
remedies have a gentle action on the body/mind
and in the hands of a skilled herbal practitioner
herbs can do much to restore a weakened or
overburdened system.
In 2008 the World Health Organisation (WHO)
agreed that WHO and its Member States should
cooperate to promote the use of traditional
medicine for healthcare. The collaboration aims to:
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Support and integrate traditional medicine
into national health systems in combination
with national policy and regulation for
products, practices and providers to ensure
safety and quality;
Ensure the use of safe, effective and quality
products and practices, based on available
evidence;
Acknowledge traditional medicine as part of
primary health care, to increase access to
care
and preserve
knowledge
and
resources; and ensure patient safety by
upgrading the skills and knowledge of
traditional medicine providers.
Gaining statutory regulation will ensure
these aims are met in the UK!
This leaflet is from The European Herbal and Traditional
Medicine Practitioners Association (EHTPA) - contact
gail.breeze@ehtpa.eu: Website: http://ehtpa.eu/ .
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