This is the usual label you will see on food supplements with claims to cure or prevent a disease or an ailment - No Approved Therapeutic Claims. But it is surprising that such food supplements are multiplying every day. In fact, there are now stores specializing in food supplements, selling only herbal products and all those in the store's shelves have that label as a disclaimer. Take for instance the bitter gourd powder that was supposed to cure diabetes, some diabetologists have already declared that the claim is not true. But the selling of such products persists.
This is a situation that has only come into existence in the last (maybe) 100 years. Before that, people simply told other people when we found remedies that helped cure something, and we didn't worry about whether there was scientific testing that proved it worked or not. Now, because of false labeling or claims for something helping you , when it does no good at all; we have laws about what can or cannot be said on the label of a product. As an example, mothers know that boiling the milk for a baby's formula will help stop runny bowels. However, you will never, ever find this claim on the side of a milk container. The tips of wild ferns will instantly stop the itch of a mosquito bite, and most fishermen might know this; but there is no scientific evidence that proves it works, so we can't claim that it does stop the itch. Pretty much , the only products that will actually have a scientific proof of testing are patented products that can sell for enough money to be worth the company paying for the testing. This leaves out all of the tried and true home-remedies that most of us have used for many years, and know that they work. People have used different herbs for centuries; but because you can grow your own, and there is no value for the company to go to the expense of testing the herb, they have to be sold (like you stated) with a label that says there are no proven therapeutic claims. Of course, people who know what the healing properties of the herbal supplements actually are, will buy the supplement anyway, knowing that it works, but that the product cannot be advertised as such.
Corie you are in a different country anything here on the shelves that says cure will have the FDA coming in with guns drawn even to put on the label that it can prevent an ailment has to be pasted by them. Even if you were to sell water and say it cures dehydration will get you thrown in jail even if it is true. I agree herbs should be used the same as drugs but minerals, vitamins, amino acids, fatty acids are true supplements and a lot are essential meaning you need them. We supplement plants with fertilizer, supplement animals with mineral blocks [salt blocks] but when it comes to people the doctors just say to eat right. These are the people who only make money when you are sick
I like supplements and natural healing herbs. It works too. My Mother no longer takes her diabetes meds. now for we have changed our foods, drink the water that we boil bitter melon in and eat the bitter melon too as a nice addition to our vegetables we eat. Since we changed our diets Mom don't take her meds, her doctor said she's doing fine. I too don't have diabetes at all. I exercise on top of dieting and so far so good. I like homeopathic and alternative medicines or practices for they work. But it's up to the individual what they want to do as always.
There have been thousands of herbs that work but you will never see them claim cure. For one thing the FDA says only a drug can cure. To make the FDA happy you would have to do a million dollar double blind study which is not going to happen on something they cannot make a billion dollars on selling it.
This is exactly right, @Martin Alonzo , and I agree completely ! Sadly, even when they do test a new drug, if it only shows a little bit better results from the test, then it is considered more effective. Since they do not test it against anything except other drugs, and not against natural medicines at all; often the results are actually much better from using an herb or other natural product. PLus, with using a natural product , you do not have the side effects of taking chemicals. Aspirin, in its natural form (from tree bark) does not ruin your liver or harm your stomach; however, taking aspirin tablets can have bad side effects when you take them routinely for pain. Some products can not even have the double-blind testing. DMSO, as an example, is one of the best products for pain like arthritis, and it has other benefits as well (it also comes from trees); but when you use it, you can taste it in your mouth, even when you put it on your feet, just like a garlic clove rubbed on your feet will taste like garlic in your mouth. Obviously , you can't give this to someone without them knowing whether they have the real thing or a placebo; so things like this, although effective, cannot be tested, even if some company wanted to test them.