Toxicologists To Examine Herbs
|
Four popular herbal supplements are to undergo safety checks, the
U.S. National Toxicology Program has announced. The four
products to be tested are aloe vera, ginseng, kava and milk
thistle.
The toxicology program is sponsored by a coalition of agencies
that includes the Food and Drug Administration, the National
Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
- The substances were originally nominated for testing by
the National Cancer Institute, and researchers are
expected to take a close look at whether the substances
are carcinogenic.
- The recommendations were then reviewed and approved by the
federal Interagency Committee for Chemical Evaluation and
Coordination, which advises the National Toxicology
Program.
- No data indicating a problem are required for nomination
to the program.
- More than 30 substances are tested by the program each
year through rodent and in vitro studies, according to
William Easton of National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences. No human test subjects are used.
Dietary supplements like vitamins and herbal products are not
tested and approved for safety or effectiveness by the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration due to a federal law sponsored by Sen.
Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) that exempts them from FDA authority.
Source: Scott Gottlieb, "U.S. Agency to Test Safety of Four
Herbs," British Medical Journal, August 7, 1999.
For text http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/319/7206/336/a
For more on Food & Drug Administration
http://www.ncpa.org/pd/regulat/reg-6.html
|
