Dilemma of Regulating Dietary Supplements

The manufacturing of herbal preparations or dietary supplements, has become a multibillion dollar industry in the United States. Presently, dietary supplements are not considered drugs by the government, but are classified as food supplements. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of agromedicine 2001-03, Vol.7 (2), p.69-80
Main Authors: Dufault, Robert J., Hassell, Richard, Rushing, James W., McCutcheon, Gloria, Shepard, Merle, Keinath, Anthony
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
botanicals
Herbs
medicinal plants
nutraceuticals
phar-mafoods
phytochemicals
phytomedicine
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Summary:The manufacturing of herbal preparations or dietary supplements, has become a multibillion dollar industry in the United States. Presently, dietary supplements are not considered drugs by the government, but are classified as food supplements. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA) has defined dietary supplements as a product intended to supplement the diet that contains one or more of a vitamin, mineral, an herb or other botanical, an amino acid or a dietary substance to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake, or concentrates, metabolites, constituents, extracts or combinations of any ingredients described above. The main limitation of DSHEA is that it deals only with herbs as dietary supplements, i.e., as foods and not as drugs. A quandary still exists among: (1) the consumers who want to use these products safely; (2) the government that wishes to protect its citizens from potential hazards; and (3) the conventional medical community still questioning the safety and efficacy of these products. DSHEA does not appear to be the final verdict on herbal regulation, but just the first step in a long process of interpretation, evaluation, and decision-making required in the U.S. for regulation of any new class of such products. This paper reviews the current status facing the consumer, medical industry, and government in regards to herbal use.
ISSN:1059-924X
1545-0813
DOI:10.1300/J096v07n02_06