  |
|
|
|
Historically the FDA has not involved itself much in the regulation of herbal preparations or supplements. Because of the lack of regulation, many herbal preparations are marketed without any testing, consistency in product quality or purity or assurance of safety. Recently the FDA has stepped in to change this and an herb has been pulled from the market by the FDA: Comfrey. Comfrey is an herbal supplement used for a variety of conditions. It has been used for open wounds, internal bleeding, lung problems and intestinal complaints. It has been used externally on open wounds to promote healing and taken internally to help as an expectorant. It has also been used in the cases of internal bleeding such as ulcerative colitis. Now the FDA has stopped all of that because Comfrey contains toxic alkaloids, which can cause liver damage and are a cancer causing agent.
"The agency strongly recommends that firms marketing a product containing comfrey, or another source of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, remove the product from the market and alert its customers to immediately stop using the product," the FDA said. The Council for Responsible Nutrition, one of the agencies who received the recall letter from the FDA, said that they were aware that the use of this herb on open wounds or used internally was a risk and has been aware of this risk since 1996. Yet the herb continued to be sold and used by consumers totally unaware of the dangers this "natural" treatment delivered. Botanical.com, one of the leaders in providing netizens with information about herbal supplements and their use still has a section on comfrey on their site and tells the reader exactly how to use it internally. This site was promoting the use of Comfrey on July 11. The FDA pulled it Friday, July 6, 2001. As a side note, the FTC is also pursuing internet marketers who are selling this herb, which is easily found on the Net. Already attorneys are poised to pursue legal action against companies that have sold Comfrey for people who claim to be injured. I do not recommend any particular legal firm but I found it interesting when I read the page of one firm who is ready to sue a variety of companies. Of course the attorneys are there to make a buck, but the list of manufacturers surprised me. This is a serious issue and can not be taken lightly as claims that people have been injured and have even died as a result of the use of this herb are starting to appear. The FDA's involvement speaks volumes due to their reluctance to become involved in the alternative health care fields previous to this issue. Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article Comfrey Pulled by the FDA in Public Health Issues is owned by . Permission to republish Comfrey Pulled by the FDA in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
|
|
|
|
