Herbal drug crackdown: Millions face having to buy remedies on black market as Europe tightens the rules

Patients could lose access to safe herbal medicines under EU rules, it was claimed yesterday.

Instead they could end up buying potentially dangerous supplies from the black market, say herbalists.

Sales of all herbal remedies, except for a small number of products for 'mild' illness, will be banned to the public under the new law to come in in 2011.

Almost 2,500 UK qualified herbalists and Chinese medicine practitioners will also lose the right to supply a wide range of herbal medicines, because they are not signed up to a statutory regulation scheme.

Unlike healthcare professionals, there is no regulation of herbalists.

The Government has launched a consultation on whether to bring in statutory regulation - which herbalists support. However, many fear the consultation process is too complicated, which could affect the chances of its success.

At least six million Britons have consulted a herbal practitioner in the past two years, according to research.

~ more... ~