Sure, in an ideal world we all would like to see some kind of standardization to insure that supplements contained what they said, had no dangerous contaminants and were of reasonable potency. However, in the real word, the trillion dollar a year pharmaceutical empire would surely end up controlling supplements and making sure that they had even more power to suppress them and eliminate competition to their patented and approved medicines.
At the end of the day:
Deaths each year in the US alone from side effects from properly prescribed and adminstered pharmaceuticals: Over 140,000
Deaths each year worldwide due to supplements: No more than a handful at most
So where is the logic in wasting their time and our money pursuing a problem that pales in comparison to the problem they should be looking at? The Federal Government nor any other agency should have no right to dictate how each of us choose to address our private health issues and certainly not to suppress supplements or other alternatives without concrete proof of harm.
Maybe when the government can get a handle on ensuring that patented drugs as safe as our supplements, there might be some logical justification for addressing supplement safety. Until then, they should keep their hands off our supplements and out of our private lives.
Adieu,
You are right, they are herbal medications but they would be violating the Big Pharma serving laws here to call themselves such. In many countries herbal medications are considered "real medicine". In the U.S. only something that has gone through the FDA trial process at a cost of hundreds of millions to near a billion dollars is accepted as an approved medicine. The rub is that you cannot patent nature, and thus no company could afford to spend that kind of money on an unpatentable supplement when all of their competitors could far undercut the price that would have to be charged to recover the huge expense of approval. While the FDA approval process may sound good on paper, it did nothing to protect us from the horrors of Vioxx, Avandia, Fosamax, Alleve, Bextra and any number of other harmful drugs did it? A natural substance with a history of use should not have to go to such expense and neither should it be absurdly forbidden to list any health benefits or use the word cure in association with it. But such is the way the big money game is played here.
The US is by far the most medicated country in the world, and yet our world health rankings has steadily plummeted below over 40 other countries - many of whom rely more on herbal medicine and natural health than mainstream drugs - including two of the top three ranked countries in the world.
A very large number of mainstream medicines, btw, are derived from plants - but the way they do so (synthetic versions or unique isolates not found by themselves in nature) ends up with something that is not natural. No doubt that is a major reason that, no matter whether they copy or isolate nature or whether they make a unique compound in the lab, over 95% of the 24,000 plus approved medicines have side effects. Butthen what is the downside to having side effects that create further illness and leads to still more medications in a never ending spiral? It's a great business model and exactly the one we have in our mainstream managed illness industry.
Among other things wrong with Aleve is that it causes about 50% greater risk of cardivascular events for those who take it - which is why the FDA halted a trial that used Aleve back in 2004. It is not very nice to your liver either. From Drugs.com:
If you have any of these other conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely use Aleve:
a history of heart attack, stroke, or blood clot;
heart disease, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure;
a history of stomach ulcers or bleeding;
liver or kidney disease
asthma;
polyps in your nose;
a bleeding or blood clotting disorder; or
if you smoke.
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. Stop taking Aleve and seek medical attention or call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:
chest pain, weakness, shortness of breath, slurred speech, problems with vision or balance;
black, bloody, or tarry stools;
coughing up blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds;
swelling or rapid weight gain;
urinating less than usual or not at all;
nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);
fever, sore throat, and headache with a severe blistering, peeling, and red skin rash;
bruising, severe tingling, numbness, pain, muscle weakness; or
fever, headache, neck stiffness, chills, increased sensitivity to light, purple spots on the skin, and/or seizure (convulsions).
Less serious Aleve side effects may include:
upset stomach, mild heartburn or stomach pain, diarrhea, constipation;
bloating, gas;
dizziness, headache, nervousness;
skin itching or rash;
blurred vision; or
ringing in your ears
As for the rest of your post - synthesized and uniquely isolated compounds are not what you find in nature. When you have 24,000 approved medications which are all either uniquely created compounds, synthesized compounds or unique isolates without the supporting compounds found in nature and they have side effects over 95% of the time, that should be a pretty good indication that items not found in nature are generally not compatible with our natural bodies.