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A coalition of 9 organizations known as the Traditional Medicines Congress (TMC)* has issued a draft proposal for a new regulatory category for herbs as “traditional medicines.” Called “A Proposed Regulatory Model for Traditional Medicines: Guiding Assumptions and Key Components” the document presents ideas for a new model for the regulation of “traditional medicines” in the United States. The proposal is being offered for public review and comment by any interested individuals, organizations and other potential stakeholders in the herbal regulatory process. These include practitioners of traditional systems of medicine, e.g., practitioners of traditional Ayurvedic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, and others.
According to a press release from the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), the leading industry trade association representing herbal interests and the only non-practitioner member of the TMC, “The goal of the Traditional Medicines Congress is to benefit public health by ensuring access to traditional medicines in a manner that provides a reasonable expectation of public safety.”
AHPA noted that the current regulatory system “provides significant options for consumer health care choices. And while some goods that have long been used as traditional medicines fit neatly into this framework, the therapeutic uses of these are restricted and many are entirely excluded.” The proposed new model would provide a new framework that would make available a wider range of claimed benefits for traditionally used herbal preparations.
The entire document can be viewed at the AHPA website: http://www.ahpa.org/05_1129_TMCongress_ProposedModel.pdf. Comments can be emailed to TMCongressFeedback@pobox.com by March 31, 2006.
The Traditional Medicines Congress is a coalition of the following organizations:
Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Alliance (AOMA)
American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP)
American Association of Oriental Medicine (AAOM)
American Herbalist Guild (AHG)
American Herbal Products Association (AHPA)
Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM)
Medicinal Herb Consortium (MHC)
National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA)
National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
(NCCAOM).
Reference
Anon. Traditional Medicines Congress calls for comments on “Ideal Regulatory Model”. AHPA Update. Silver Spring, MD: American Herbal Products Assn., Nov. 29, 2005.
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