Meeting with European Benefyt Foundation
Meeting with the EBF (European Benefyt Foundation) in Brussels 21/11 2009
Present from Sweden: Lars Nilsson, Tomas Rudin
EBF is a fund that is being founded with headquarters in Brussels. One of the founders is Chris Dhaenens L.Ac, Herbalist Belgium. Michael McIntyre Herbalist GB has been a driving force in the Chinese herbal medicine for decades and is behind a large lobbying for this discipline to survive the new legislative Storbrittaninen. Erica Mann is another key person who acted as moderator during the meeting. Erica has worked for 15 years in the EU Parliament, leaving their mission in the summer of 2009, she will assist the Board with its network of contacts and experience in the extensive lobbying efforts that must be implemented. The reason for the fund came about is a bill from the EU which will have major impact on the current market, all forms of herbal medicine. If the law (which will come into force April 2011) goes through as it looks now, in principle, an entire industry disappear. For all who work and have the supply from these activities, it will be very difficult to continue in the same way as today.
It is against this brief background that some enthusiasts have tried to bring the rest of the member countries of Europe to act in the last minute. The purpose of this fund is to form a board of directors
which shall have its seat in Brussels to be near the decision processes. A proposal for a board was created, including suggestions on how much money is needed for 1 year to run the project (approximately 2-3milj sec) and a fee that is dependent on the status of members, distributors or therapists.
To date, the organizers of the fund been sponsored by companies in the industry.
The law as it is all about units THMPD (Traditional Herbal Medicine Products Directive) and NF (Novel foods) regulation.
Depending on the individual Member State's legislation, interpretation and application, a traditional
Herb addressed either as medicine or food supplements, but the gray area is significant. In practice, there is no traditional herbal suitable 100% in either group. The vast majority of all formulas represent herbs from both groups. It was against this background to clarify what is food supplements or medication that regulations have been added. Unfortunately, in reality it is a very blunt instrument, and takes almost no account of the traditional use of herbs such as Chinese pharmacopecia. EBF believes that the law must be harmonized and have another application if we as terapueter in the future to work with herbs and deliver products to consumers who may perform its function and has a good safety.
Summary of the impact THMPD in practice will get, if applied as it is today.
-Most of all distributors who primarily sells herbs will end, only a few large has any theoretical possibility of survival.
-Only pills are composed of up to 4 possibly six herbs are allowed.
-No ability to deliver individually mixed herb recipes to customers.
High-cost analysis of herbs known. registration fees that can range from 200 s to
300,000 / herb
-Analyses will be done through mono spectral tests (analysis of an individual active substance that can give a narrow and misleading picture of the whole herb use) instead of the full spectrum (analysis of whole plant part used in medicine or food)
-No prescription for medication that is approved, the customer should be allowed to choose in-store what might be best at any specific problems. As a result, at best, the customer can find the right medication that works, in the alternative of no value at all, and thirdly the wrong choice, the symptoms get worse.
Chris Dhaenens and Solange Vynckier Pharmacist Belgium presented the so-called. Belgium The approach that should be seen as a medium to THMPD and is an attempt to harmonize
regulations. In the current situation, this is the only developed alternatives and it will
likely to be set against THMPD as a proposal.
The purpose of the Belgian The approach is to make a clearer distinction between medicine and food supplements, by making use of the homeostasis concept that is to balance this way on a line where the dosage of the active ingredients in herbs are crucial food supplements released for medicine. They want to use the maximum and minimum limits to comply with the limits for medical effect. Medical power would equal the
dosage of a substance having a terapuetisk effect of a well defined pathology.
The publication Homeostasis a model to distinguish between foods and medicinal products that form the basis for the Belgian The approach can be read in its entirety on the website of the Partial agreement in the Social and Public Health Field / www.coe.int / soc-sp , a recommendation is to all who are concerned about this issue takes part of it.
One question that arose was, what should be required for the standard of therapists working with Ayervedisk, Western or Kinsesisk herbal medicine. The answer given was that it is too large a question to include in this context. However, there was a desire on the panel to raise the educational level of TCM schools generally in the EU member states, but that this should primarily be reviewed at the national level.
Michael McIntyre EHPA (European Herbal Practioner Association), United Kingdom.
The material presented Michael was unfortunately not with the hand out, we will return with a fuller report later.
The situation in Britain has more focus on the therapists who will be qualified to work with herbal medicine, government wants to introduce a kind of legitimization. With the help of a public outcry provoked by EHPA and the media, politicians have begun to listen to arguments from EHPA This is an issue that upsets big emotions in the British populationen.Michael described a lagparagraf that can save the situation to the advantage of EHPA. About EPHA wins this process may also be beneficial to others in the remaining member countries working with herbal medicine
The next meeting of the EBF will take place in April 2010.
Lars Nilsson / Convening Örtgruppen in Sv.Akupunkturförbundet
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