It's not exactly a "Ban", it's regulations that just went into effect about the sale of herbal products. The media has really taken the "Ban" ball and run with it!

This new EU and UK law, which went into effect on May 1st, says that herbal products must be licensed OR prescribed by a licensed herbal practitioner. A licensed product requires presentation of evidence that the product is safe.

I'm not sure why there's a knee-jerk reaction about this as it's been on the horizon since 2004 (2005 in the UK)! That's when the "Ban" initially went into effect with a 7 year grace period. At that time, companies were instructed to prove, at least, product safety. And I don't think they meant the tired old "it's been used for centuries" kind of safety evidence. There were grandfathering loopholes in the law, now expired, like if the product has been sold for at least 30 years, it's a simple registration. Unless, of course, a real problem has been identified by health authorities like side effects or interaction with other drugs. After all, herbs are really drugs even if they are "natural" and side effects have been reported.

I found some informative web pages (not news media) via a Dutch source:

http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/11/71&format=HTM...


http://ec.europa.eu/health/human-use/herbal-medicines/index_en.htm