Your ability to purchase many herbal products may pretty much disappear if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gets its way. In recent years, the FDA has tried to insert itself into the herbal products industry (with a certain degree of success–ephedra products are a good example) using the premise that you are too stupid to know what you’re buying, and don’t have enough sense to use what you bought so as not to bring harm to yourself. In short, they want to be even more of your mom than they are now.

In December of last year, the “Draft Guidance for Industry on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Products and Their Regulation by the Food and Drug Administration” (follow the link to read the document) showed up on the FDA’s web site. At 17 pages, it isn’t light reading but if you are at all concerned about being able to pursue treatments for ailments without the government telling you what you can and can’t use you might want to read it.

Basically, it says that if you use an herbal product as a way to maintain your health or as a prevention measure, that’s ok. But if the intent of the product is to treat an ailment or condition, or to lessen or alleviate symptoms of a medical condition then that product needs to be regulated by the government. The only exception that is available is a product that is “…generally recognized, among experts qualified by scientific training and experience to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of drugs, as safe and effective for use under the conditions prescribed, recommended, or suggested in the labeling.” What that means is that some government scientist or doctor who is most likely ignorant of the benefits of natural healing practices–or even worse, fundamentally opposed to the idea because it hasn’t been “scientifically tested”–is going to be in charge of telling you what you can buy and what you can’t.

FDA scientists and doctors know best? I don’t know about you, but I find that to be a very comforting thought. [/end sarcasm]

Strictly interpreted, the regs that FDA is proposing could restrict buying bottled water to treat severe dehydration unless the government first approves it. That depends on the label, of course. If the bottle is labeled properly:

“Not for use in treating medically recognized conditions such as acute dehydration. Such uses are prohibited by law. Always consult your physician before using this product.”

Obviously, that’s an extreme example, but as we continue the decades-long slide into nanny-statism it isn’t as far-fetched as it would appear.

The dietary supplement industry has been under attack for years from various directions, each with their own agendas. Who could possibly imagine what they are? The pharmaceutical industry wants to reduce competition and force the use of their own products. Some people live for the opportunity to control what other people do. Other groups think you are too stupid to think on your own. Maybe you need governmental protection from unscrupulous packagers who’d give you sagebrush powder instead of slippery elm powder. Or maybe it’s the medical industry trying to enforce a government-created monopoly on health care. Maybe it’s the Martians. Who knows? Who cares? The point of it all is that a group or groups of people want to take away more of what little freedom you have left to make your own life decisions.

Comments to the proposed regulation are open until April 30, 2007. You can comment on the proposal here. I urge to to submit comments to this intrusion into your ability to make your own choices in life.

I know that many teachers of the principles of the Law of Attraction advise against paying attention to things like this. I don’t know the answer to that. I do know, though, that for whatever reason other people are trying to steal your freedom little bit by little bit, and if you close your eyes to it one day you’ll wake up and find it gone.