propanganda

[Guest guest]

This an excerpt of a forward I got. I think there are several errors in

the excerpts that seem to purposeful errors of omission.

Friends,

We just received this. The FDA's strategy is becoming transparent.

-- M

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Aller Relief

The recall affects our Aller Relief, which has been distributed in this

country since 1997 and is based on a formula used in China since the 1400's.

The FDA is concerned because a Belgium diet center inadvertently misused

the herb. A.fangchi (AF). AF is an herb that contains the chemical

Aristolochic Acid (AA). It is scientifically unclear how the FDA

listed the chemical AA rather than the herb. AA is an isolated chemical

naturally

found in over 600 different plants, like wild ginger.

what is left unsaid is that all a company needs to do is document

the absence of AA in their products. this is what powdered extract

companies and reputable bulk suppliers have been doing for months.

this company's product actually contained AA, but they try and deflect

from this fact by insinuating that we are about to lose access to xi xin.

According to my sources, this is untrue and many companies are importing

xi xin products that have tested "clean".

 

The Belgium case on which the FDA is largely basing the recalls was

published on June 8, 2000 in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

While the abstract concludes that Chinese herbs of the aristolochia species

is responsible for high rates of kidney failure and cancer, the article

notes that there is much debate over this matter. Neither the

FDA nor have we received any adverse event reports to date of a similar

nature as described in the NEJM article. Notwithstanding, the FDA is

requesting companies to take 63 herbs on the FDA's list of botanical ingredients

off the shelf.

 

this also appears to be untrue. my article at

http://bluepoppy.com/press/download/articles/chin_herb_reg_oct.html

includes medline abstracts detailing incidents of AA nephrotoxicity

which have occurred worldwide, none of which involved the use of bizarre

drugs or weight loss regimens as in Belgium. AA does now seem to

be the common factor, without any doubt in my mind. again, the so-called

list of 63 products exempts those products that test clean.

I have heard the point made that because we have no reported incidents

yet in the US, it is premature to regulate. However, I know of one

case that was settled out of court. who knows how many more have

avoided the light of day? This issue has me recalling a debate on

Politically Incorrect the other night. It was being argued whether

animal testing on drugs was ethical. While I am not a big fan of

such testing, I couldn't help but be chagrined by one of the idiot guests

who blurted out, "what good is animal testing; it didn't protect us from

thalidomide" (the notorious drug given to pregnant women in the fifties

that caused profound birth defects). The irony is that thalidomide

was never approved for use in the US. All the problems occurred in

europe, where regulation was very lax. The FDA interpreted the research

and decided the animal studies suggested the drug was very unsafe.

Well, you know what, AA is a known nephrotoxin. There is no need

to wait for someone to die. If a company can't maintain public safety,

then who cares if they go out of business. It is pure hype that chinese

herbs are under attack.

 

 

 

 

 

--

 

Chinese Herbal Medicine