Will Natural Medicines Be Regulated out of Existence?

Turmeric is one the most thoroughly researched plants in the world and a possible cause of sleepless nights for some pharmaceutical company executives. (Shutterstock)

The natural health industry is under revision in New Zealand and Canada. On July 19, New Zealand passed the Therapeutic Products Bill, which will take effect in 2026.

Then on June 22, Royal Assent was given to Bill C-47, which introduced amendments to the Food and Drugs Act (FDA) concerning Natural Health Products (NHPs). It will take effect in 2025.

The New Zealand government described their bill in a media release as “replacing and modernising the regulatory arrangements for medicines” and for providing “fit-for-purpose regulation of medical devices and cell, gene, and tissue therapies which, until now, have not been fully regulated.”

In Canada, the intent of the new regulations is to produce clear labelling to ensure an easier understanding of safety information for consumers and health professionals.

However, as reported in Canadian Grocer magazine, the Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA) has stated that Health Canada has created a “very technical and inflexible guidance document that is difficult for brands to comply with.”

Joe D'Addario, CEO of health food supermarket Nature’s Emporium, told Canadian Grocer magazine, “The proposed changes by Health Canada, if enacted, would severely harm the natural health food industry in Canada.”

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“These changes would not only reduce the competitiveness of Canadian natural health product producers but also force consumers to seek alternative shopping options, most likely across the border, to acquire products that were once easily accessible and widely available,” he added.

Robert Rogers, an Edmonton-based herbalist, teacher, author of 62 books, and former chair of the Capital Health Community Health Council, said how difficult it will be for smaller companies to survive under the new rules.

He is quoted in CBC News saying, ‘'You’re fighting against the system that likes drugs and surgery, and there’s little recognition of the competence and the huge healing ability of a lot of these supplements if they’re done properly.”

Traditional Medicine Tied Up in Modern Red Tape

In New Zealand, the situation is similar. Smaller companies will have additional financial burdens placed on them, and if they pass on the costs, it will cut out a lot of market share and hence profit. Loss of market share and profit means many of these companies could close down.

Further difficulties from this bill could arise in regards to importing quality NHPs from overseas and also to bring New Zealand NHPs and ingredients to market.

Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall states in a press release, “The Bill includes an exemption scheme for small-scale natural health product manufacturers and removes obligations which might otherwise have applied to rongoā [traditional Māori medicine] practitioners, services and activities.”

However, this exemption scheme also has the potential to be tied up in red tape.

Rongoā practices will be governed by an advisory committee established to provide advice to the Regulator to help determine whether a person meets the definition of a rongoā practitioner or is engaging in an activity within the scope of the provision.

The committee will also provide advice to the minister and regulator on matters such as excluding products from the definition of therapeutic products and proposals to declare something a “prohibited product.”

Well Known Health Properties

Dr. Guy Hatchard wrote in the Expose that the New Zealand bill is “an underhand move,” which does not specify much of the content.

Besides lacking in detail, it places a lot of discretionary power in the hands of a new regulator who will regulate all natural health products (NHPs), including low-risk foods such as turmeric, barley grass, and spirulina.

Turmeric has been used for nearly 4,000 years. It has been traced back to India’s Vedic culture, where it was used as a culinary spice.

After 4,000 years of use, one would think it was safe to use as a supplement.

Spirulina was discovered by the Western world in 1519 by Spanish Scientist Hernando Cortez and Conquistadors.  The Aztecs consumed spirulina as it gave them energy for their incredibly long runs. It is also consumed in Chad and some other African countries.

The first cultivation of barley grass was around 10,000 years ago in Mesopotamia between the Euphrates and Tigris. It has played a prominent role in human nutrition since then.

Approving herbs that have been used for thousands of years by a regulator who does not need to have appropriate expertise (natural health professionals, naturopaths, and medical herbalists) when deciding whether products are safe for NZ consumers seems to be, at best, farcical.

Many herbs have previously been put on a list to be banned under a 2016 bill in New Zealand which was drawn up by Medsafe with the help of the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA). These include cinnamon, aloe vera, eggplant, mustard, betel nut, coconut, castor, hibiscus and cardamom.

Dr. Hatchard writes that “under the Bill, there is nothing to stop the new regulator from simply adopting this (former) list as soon as appointed.”

ICMRA was created at the 65th World Health Assembly conference in 2012 “to address current and emerging human medicine regulatory and safety challenges globally, strategically and in an ongoing, transparent, authoritative and institutional manner.”

The members of ICMRA are from 22 countries and include medicine and drug regulatory bodies from these countries.  There are associate members from 15 more countries, with the World Health Organisation being termed as an “observer.”

Thus this situation of prohibiting and controlling natural products may, in the future, be applied to a large portion of the world.

While the global natural supplements market was valued at US$152.3 Billion in 2022, it is a small player when compared to the pharmaceutical industry, which was valued at US$1.48 trillion in 2022.