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- Herbal
Medicine in general, and Chinese Herbal Medicine in particular, have
met many challenges in the United States.
Many issues mentioned in previous recommendation relate to
another fundamental issue ---- the classification of herbs.
Without a clear, appropriate, and scientific classification of
herbs, it may be very difficult to solve other issues.
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- Currently,
herbs are classified as food dietary supplements.
Congress defined the term “dietary supplement” in the
Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994.
A dietary supplement is a product taken by mouth that contains
a “dietary ingredient” intended to supplement the diet [1].
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- “To
supplement the diet” may be appropriate for vitamins, minerals,
amino acids, enzymes, etc. However,
it is inappropriate for herbs. Herbs
are much more complicated and have far more functions than simply
“To supplement the diet”.
-
- Then,
what category should herbs be classified?
Following, we try to discuss this issue from several
viewpoints:
-
- (1)
Dietary Supplement Viewpoint
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- For
thousands of years, millions or billions of clinic practices and
studies prove that herbs can effectively prevent, treat, and cure
diseases rather than to simply supplement the diet.
Therefore, it is inappropriate to classify herbs as dietary
supplements.
-
- (2)
Efficacy Viewpoint
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- From
the efficacy point of view, Herbal Medicine (as a generative or
constructive medicine) is very effective in preventing, treating,
and curing diseases. This
therapeutic function is similar to the Western Medicine.
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- Generally
speaking, Herbal Medicine takes effect slower but the results last
longer than Western Medicine in treating diseases (There are,
however, some cases in which Herbal Medicine works faster than
Western Medicine). For
acute diseases, Western Medicine usually works faster and more
effectively in controlling the signs and symptoms. For chronic diseases, however, Herbal Medicine usually works
more effectively than Western Medicine in treating the root cause of
a disease.
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- Therefore,
herbs should be classified as a category of products for medicinal
use rather than as dietary supplements.
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- (3)
Safety Viewpoint
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- From
the safety point of view, herbs are usually safer than chemical
drugs. Herbs are very
different from chemical drugs in causing adverse side effects
(Please refer to the previous recommendation).
Therefore, herbs should not be classified into the category
of chemical drugs.
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- Comparing
with dietary supplements, however, herbs usually can be more
dangerous if the herbs are prescribed inappropriately.
Many situations may lead to herbal side effects (Please refer
to the previous recommendation).
Therefore, herbs should not be classified as dietary
supplements.
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- Based
on above discussion, herbs should be classified as a category:
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- (a)
different from dietary supplements;
- (b)
for medicinal use;
- (c)
different from chemical drugs.
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- Due
to above reasons, it is appropriate and necessary to establish a new
category for herbs. This
herbal category should be independent of, and between dietary
supplements and chemical drugs. The
definition of herbs in this category should contain the following
characteristics:
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- (1)
Efficacy: Herbs
can prevent, treat, and cure diseases;
- (2)
Safety: Herbs
are generally safer than chemical drugs, but may be more dangerous
than dietary supplements;
- (3)
Mechanism, Rules, and Principles: The mechanism of Herbal Medicine does exist, but it is more
complicated than Western Medicine.
Herbal Medicine works under a set of rules and principles
different from Western Medicine.
Some holistic and module approach may be needed in
elucidating the mechanism of Herbal Medicine.
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- This
new classification of herbs will have the following functions:
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- (a)
Send a clear message to the public that herbs are not dietary
supplements. Herbs can
be very dangerous if taken inappropriately.
The public is not advised to take herbs at their own
discretion. This will
reduce the herbal side effects caused through inappropriate
self-administration of herbs by the public.
- (b)
As a medicinal field, the profession of Herbal Medicine
should be regulated. This
will reduce the herbal side effects caused through administration of
herbal remedies by unqualified practitioners of Herbal Medicine.
- (c)
With the decrease of herbal side effects and the increase of
herbal therapeutic effects, insurance companies may be willing to
pay for herbal treatments. As
a result, more Americans will benefit from the natural, safe, and
effective Herbal Medicine.
- (d)
The regulated and judicious use of herbal remedies will very
likely provide solutions for some problems facing the American
health care system today.
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- Currently,
many people in America have an impression that “Traditional Chinese
Medicine (TCM) is acupuncture, and acupuncture is TCM”.
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- This
is, in fact, a misunderstanding about Chinese Medicine.
As mentioned in the previous recommendation, TCM is composed of
two parts: Herbal
Medicine and Acupuncture (the Herbal Medicine is about ten to twenty
times larger than the Acupuncture).
To equal TCM to Acupuncture is to equal the whole (TCM) to a
part (a smaller part: Acupuncture).
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- Above
misunderstanding could actually obstruct the development of TCM in
particular, and Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in
general in the United States. If
this situation continues, the American public will be unable to
receive the vast amount of benefits that Chinese Herbal Medicine could
offer. The profession of
Chinese Medicine deeply believes that without Herbal Medicine (which
is the main component of TCM), TCM could never be complete.
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-
-
- Reference
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- [1]
FDA Overview of Dietary Supplements, U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, January
3, 2001.
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-
-
- I
would like to thank Dr. Stephen Groft, Executive Director of the White
House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy (WHCCAMP),
for calling me discussing the previous recommendation.
Most thoughts in this supplement were triggered and developed
from that conversation. Thanks also to Coordinator Bonnie J. McLaren of the Small
Business Development Center at the College of DuPage for reviewing,
editing, and commenting this and other projects.
