Difference of medicines & nutritional supplements

Medicinal Plant Products: The difference between medicines and nutritional supplements

08/12/2013

Preparations from medicinal plants can be obtained in Germany not only in the pharmacy, also drugstores, health food stores or supermarkets offer products that contain medicinal plants in various forms. Especially the dietary supplements promise not only health benefits, but are in the form of drugs often barely distinguishable. To the detriment of the users, because in important characteristics the differences are enormous.

„Unfortunately, especially in the field of herbal supplements are not clearly differentiated“, Prof. Dr. Theodor Dingermann, Chairman of the scientific advisory board of the Committee of Research Natural Medicine e.V. (KFN). It has become natural that herbal supplements are perceived on the basis of a medicinal plant. That was wrong.

Herbal medicines, as well as chemically synthesized ones, are intended for medicinal use, especially for the treatment of ailments and diseases. They must be approved by the Federal Agency (BfArM), which requires a review of their quality, efficacy and safety, as well as a determination of the daily dose. Their manufacture is also subject to ongoing surveillance.

Dietary supplements, on the other hand, are intended for healthy people. They should contribute to the preservation of health like food. Legally they are treated as food. This means that there is no surveillance for them and the authorities intervene only when there is a specific suspicion. The consumer must therefore be on his own when using the quality and safety of these products.

Prof. Dingermann therefore calls on the public to raise awareness of the facts in this area. Herbal preparations always contain, according to the explanatory statement, also substances that are incorrectly dosed or incorrectly applied, which may be harmful to health. In the case of pharmaceuticals, appropriate education is largely ensured in Germany. In the case of dietary supplements, on the other hand, the consumer, especially if he buys them in the drugstore, supermarket or even on the Internet, relies on his own knowledge.

When it comes to herbal supplements, it is aggravating that not just the two categories „Dietary supplements“ and „drug“ are very different, but that themselves within

Of these two groups the individual preparations differ in some cases very strongly. In order to be sure about the choice, you should therefore always be informed about the specific preparation in detail, preferably the doctor or pharmacist. (KFN)