Herbal Medicine: Regulation

Mr. Lancaster
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to introduce statutory regulation of herbal medicine and herbal medicine practitioners.

Ann Keen
The Department has recently undertaken a consultation exercise on whether acupuncture, herbal medicine and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners should be regulated and if so how. Due to the overwhelming number of responses received it is likely to be the spring before the analysis is complete and a decision can be made on the way forward.

The regulation of herbal medicinal products is covered by provisions of European and United Kingdom legislation.