Herbal Drugs - The Law

The Law

For decades, the FDA and the herbal products industry have argued over the proper way to regulate herbal drugs. The FDA's job is to protect consumers from ineffective or unsafe products. But herbal manufacturers, who have grown more influential as their products have increased in popularity, maintain that consumers should be allowed to make their own decisions about health care. The 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act classifies an herb as a dietary supplement. Under this law, the FDA bears the burden of having to prove an herbal is unsafe before restricting its use.