Originally published May 17 2013
Self reliance under seige as EU herbal regulations take hold
by Lance Johnson
(NaturalNews) The European Union thinks it knows what's best for the world's health and future.
The "all knowing" think they can govern the land, the plants, traditional herbal medicine, and each individual person, however they choose. That's why they have begun implementing the European Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive all across Europe.
As new regulations on herbal products take hold, the EU is telling the world that people cannot be trusted to self-regulate, self-medicate, and survive on their own. That's why they've put together a regulation committee to ensure everyone's continued "safety."
The all-wise regulators think they know your body best
As the European Union injects new controls onto traditional herbs and other natural products, people seeking herbal treatment for common ailments are being forced to rely less on themselves and more on the all knowing. This is putting people everywhere at a disadvantage. Using, trading, and selling herbs is becoming an underground business, as expensive licensing is driving up the costs and making herbal trade a black market. The new regulatory directive (ETHMPD), which came into effect April 30, 2011, established an approval process for herbal medicines, requiring each EU Member State to establish a traditional herbal registration scheme. Herbal products that are sold and manufactured must now do so with an appropriate license, including a full marketing authorization and a traditional herbal registration, which are to fully outline the safety, quality, efficacy, and evidence of traditional use.
Herbal wisdom - a valuable learned skill for the days ahead
This is driving up the cost of traditional remedies. Some shops cannot carry remedies that have been safely used for centuries. The increasing scarcity of remedies should be igniting passion in any self-driven, self-sufficient European to want to learn how to grow, wild craft, and use herbal remedies from their own home. In doing so, people will find a sense of self freedom and self-reliance they've never had before. The ability to treat oneself in their own home will set people free from a medical industry that is more costly than ever before. The ability to share and trade remedies with neighbors and friends will become a valuable learned skill in the days ahead. Informational and how-to books on herbs and their proper use are available to all. Herbs have been used for centuries. This kind of natural food and medicine is what helped the population arrive to where it is today.
Regulations to keep everyone "safe"
Michael McIntyre, chairman of the The European Herbal and Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association, thinks that regulations will increase safety. He cheered on the government's new regulations, "The Government is to be congratulated on making the right decision to bring in statutory regulation for all those prescribing herbal medicines. It is terribly important to have responsible people who have undergone training prescribing these products."
By regulating traditional, natural wellness, the EU is telling the people that they should not trust one another or themselves, but should trust the regulatory advice of the all powerful state. How can these new regulatory procedures be trusted? The regulators don't understand how an herb may work for each individual person. Each person is unique and must understand their own body's signals. Learning to trust and treat oneself will be valuable in the years ahead, as regulations make traditional remedies harder to attain. The good news about herbs is that they can be grown freely and used right at home, without regulation and license.
Who do you trust?
So do regulations always lead to safety? It all depends on who you trust. Do you trust a government regulatory commission that has very little experience with any of the herbs they are banning and regulating?
Or do you trust the collective experiences of herbalists, experience written into books, and personal insight?
The liberty for each individual to understand their own body is essential to future health. It may in one's best interest to trust personally learned knowledge from books, experience, and others testimonies.
Survival forward will be rooted in the self-driven ones, who aren't afraid to take a risk and trust oneself with the care of their own health. Herbs should remain freely accessible, fun to learn, and unregulated.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.dw.de
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13215010
http://www.independent.co.uk
http://www.gopetition.com/petition/39757.html
About the author:
Passionate about holistic wellness, Lance Johnson and his wife invite you to www.allnaturalfreespirit.com, where you can buy clean, chemical-free body care products.
Passionate about holistic wellness, Lance Johnson and his wife invite you to www.allnaturalfreespirit.com, where you can buy clean, chemical-free body care products.
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