UK Bans Herbal Tea: Claims It Contains a Drug

Apparently, if Big Pharma can't sell a slimming product that got its idea from nature, then nature doesn't have the right to it, either.

by Heidi Stevenson

25 October 2010

The attack on herbs continues with the UK's banning of a herbal tea and its related product sold for slimming. Now that sibutramine has rightly been banned because it's a dangerous drug, the government is banning anything that contains it in a natural compound, even though it hasn't been shown to be dangerous in its natural form.

That would be like banning willow bark because it contains the substance from which aspirin was originally derived. Following this logic, nearly all foods could be banned, since virtually all contain something that has the potential for harm when taken in excessive doses.

Paiyouji tea and Pai You Guo capsules are herbal products sold as slimming aids. The UK's Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) says that they contain sibutramine, which is an SNRI (serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor) that was sold primarily as an appetite suppressant.⁽¹⁾ It has come under suspicion for its dangerous effects, including heart and liver failure. Therefore, it has been withdrawn from the market.

Apparently, the attitude of the MHRA is that, if Big Pharma can't sell a slimming product that got its idea from nature, then nature doesn't have the right to it, either.

There have been instances in which the manufactured drug, sibutramine, has been added to a herbal product. In such cases, Gaia Health agrees that such products have crossed the line from herbal to pharmaceutical. They have no legitimacy as herbal products and should be regulated.

However, no such claim is being made about Paiyouji tea or Pai You Guo capsules. They are being targeted for their naturally-occurring sibutramine. In the US, the FDA is targeting the herbal product, Solo Slim, for the same reason. It contains Seville orange, a common food used in many recipes, especially a particularly famous marmalade.⁽²⁾

When Big Pharma finds something effective in nature, that substance is identified, extracted, and synthesized for sale as a drug. The symbiotic value of the substance in its natural form within the plant is lost in the search for profits. The drug has been adulterated from its natural form in combination with other natural substances.

There is no logic in declaring that a substance is now a drug simply because a pharmaceutical company has extracted, processed, and synthesized it. That's equivalent to saying that onions should be banned because they contain a lot of phosphorus, the active ingredient in bisphosphonates, which are osteoporosis drugs.

The MHRA has issued the following fear mongering statement about sibutramine:

Uncontrolled use of sibutramine can result in serious side effects such as high blood pressure, seizures, heart attack or stroke. It may also interact with other prescription medication.

It's true that sibutramine is a dangerous drug. In truth, they've understated its risks, because even controlled use can cause these adverse effects. However, Pai You Guo and Paiyouji are not sibutramine. Though they may contain the substance, it is not in isolation. The MHRA is trying to conflate the drug with a herb. They have the cart before the horse.

Where will this all stop? Will onions be banned?

We must stop this travesty of removing us from our sources of health and sustenance to forcing us into the modern medical mill of drugs, artificial food stuffs, and extreme procedures. At this moment, we are at risk of losing our access to nearly all herbal medicines in the EU. Please, read the following articles, and then sign the Stop the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive:

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