Claire

I now realise how important it is to SUPPORT the regulation of herbalists. The directive (THMPD) to license herbal products and allow only ‘authorised health professionals’ to prescribe unlicensed herbal products means that only doctors will have the right to precribe herbal medicines.

THMPD has already been passed in 2005, without most herbalists being aware about it, or if so, only in a very vague sense. This legislation comes into force April 2011, after which only licensed products can be sold over the counter, of which there is currently less than 40. To get this EU legislation overturned, monumental campaigning and a widespread public support will be required. Personally, I do hope that this happens.

However, I think that as statutory regulated health professionals, having met certain training requirements to ensure public safety and accountability, herbalists will have a much firmer footing from which to challenge this directive. So I believe this is the first hurdle herbalists need to tackle.

Throughout history herbalists have often been under threat due to changes in legislation, gaining statutory regulation will help to protect and promote the practice, study and research of herbal medicine, past, present & future.

At the moment, herbalists are not given much credibility by authorised professions. Unless herbalists in UK all train to become GPs, or GPs all train to become herbalists, which is currently not the case in the UK, the implications of the THMPD is that we will lose our access to the third party dispensary items and prescription services that is essential to most herbalists’ practice because there will be hardly anyone authorised to prescribe them.

In countries like France & Germany, there is already systems in place which ensure a certain standard. In France, for example, only herbalists who are also trained as GPs can prescribe herbal medicine products. Certainly there is nothing to stop individuals from picking and preparing their own herbal medicines, trained and regulated or not, but their practice will not be endorsed by the authorities. Therefore, the profile of herbal medicine will continue to kept in the shadows for the foreseeable future.

Some E.U. countries, such as Slovakia, do not have the option for their herbalists to become regulated in any shape or form. As such, their herbal pharmacies have been closing down as these products can only be sold in conventional pharmacies. Obviously, there is not as much room on the shelves of conventional pharmacies for herbal products with no one qualified to prescribe them.

We are very fortunate that we are even being given the opportunity for regulation, because without it both the public and herbalists will lose the easy access to herbal medicines that we will enjoy up until April 2011.

Like nurses who have fought for and gained regulation, the aim for regulated professional herbalists is to ensure quality care for all, while maintaining their credentials, code of ethics, standards, competencies, and continuing their education at a high level. This will give a greater opportunity for herbal medicine to have a positive impact on the conventional medical professions, as well as ensuring a high standard of herbal practice and accountability.

It is urgent that herbalists who are unsure to investigate this issue deeper. If we don’t respond to the DoH consultation by November 16th, after that date, any attempt to gain regulation will be incredibly difficult process. Also access to herbs for all herbalists, those in favour of regulation or not, will be lost.

Besides writing articles for the local press(see Local News next week 12th Nov) and writing to various MP’s and MSP including the Health Sec, I have been mailing all my contacts to encourage them to participate in all levels of the consultation pocess and to attend in Edinburgh. As a seasoned campaigner I intend to be there, so hopefully meet up with a few of you. Many hands etc…