March 13, 2003 – Eager to enter the lucrative US market, more and more manufacturers of traditional Chinese remedies are attempting to scientifically demonstrate the properties of their products.
Thus, around 40 clinical studies are currently underway in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, and include tests on mice and humans. Among the products tested are “huangqi”, an herb that would reduce swelling and promote skin regeneration, and “Bak Foong” tablets.1 (ingredients: ginseng, deer antlers and about 20 herbs), which would stimulate the immune system, improve digestion and reduce the risk of heart problems.
But as long as these properties have not been demonstrated according to rigorous Western scientific criteria, these products can, at most, be marketed in the form of dietary supplements. The manufacturers’ goal, however, is much more ambitious: to have them recognized as “drugs” in due form, with the billions of dollars in revenue that this could generate.
The task they are tackling is monstrous. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has never endorsed any herbal remedy whatsoever. A spokesperson for the agency said the claimed effectiveness of these products is based on anecdotal experience and has never been scientifically proven. The FDA further points out that manufacturers of traditional remedies have difficulty identifying all the active ingredients in their product and offering a product free of all contaminants.2.
Progress is, for the moment, modest. In Hong Kong, the Eu Yan Sang Company’s factory has won a certificate from the Australian government, which certifies that its products are produced in clean and sanitary facilities.
This allows it to export certain products to the United States, but only under the description of dietary supplements.
This certification, however minimal it may be, is however an essential preliminary step if ever the products of Eu Yan Sang are to be recognized as “medicines”.
To learn more about traditional Chinese medicine, please see our interview with Philippe Sionneau.
Jean-Benoit Legault – PasseportSanté.net
According to Associated Press, March 10, 2003.
1. Gou YL, Ho AL, Rowlands DK, Chung YW, Chan HC. Effects of bak foong pill on blood coagulation and platelet aggregation.Biol Pharm Bull 2003 Feb; 26 (2): 241-6. [Consulté le 12 mars 2003].
2. Li X, Gao J, Zhao J. DDetermination of heavy metal in Chinese herbs. Wei Sheng Yan Jiu 2002 Aug; 31 (4): 295-7. [Consulté le 12 mars 2003].
