The US Government has decided to fund research in natural remedies in a big way. Today more and more Americans are turning to natural remedies in increasing numbers. Americans spent more than $33 billion dollars on complementary and alternative medicines in 2007, as reported by the government’s survey. The surveyors believe that this figure will rise in future surveys.
Late last year, the US government awarded $ 37 million in grants to five inter disciplinary and vitamin centers across the country. These grants will enable researchers to look into the safety and efficacy of health products from herbal botanicals.
At that time the US FDA also issued warnings to supplement makers who sell tainted products were informed that they could face criminal prosecution. The agency also targeted manufacturers who put out false claims that certain products are all natural when they were not. Some of these products were laced with the same active ingredients as the approved drugs. Incidents like that become a serious public health concern.
Some scientists do not believe that money should be spent on research into herbs. They are not convinced of the health benefits of natural remedies.On the other hand there are those who sincerely believe that enormous benefits can be derived from natural herbal supplements and research is vital. They also believe that more research would help with standardization, quality and costs. Here are a few of the research projects being funded.
* Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., to investigate how supplements such as artemisia and St. John’s wort can reduce a person’s chances of developing metabolic syndrome.
* University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to investigate the safety and efficacy of such botanical estrogens as wild yam, soy and dong quai, and particularly their potential to contribute to cancer in women.
* Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, N.C., to study the potential of botanical oils to boost the immune system and reduce inflammation.
Some supporters of the funding believe that this is an important step in the future of natural remedies. They hope to see more money put into this type of research. However there are those who believe that this move will eventually lead to stringent regulations for natural remedies. They cite the ruling that will take place in Europe early this year. Many popular herbs sold in that area will soon be required to meet licensing requirements before they can be offered to the public We will have to wait and see how it impacts us here. Regardless of the differences in opinion, more research in the health benefits of herbs will certainly help with quality measures.
Tags: biomedical research