Legal Requirements, that affect the way we work.
The LAW states: that a Qualified Medical Herbalist (who is properly insured), is only allowed to make up unlicensed preparations after a Herbal consultation, they cannot have a primary herbal consultation by telephone or web-cam, the consultation MUST be in person. If a person under 18 is to be seen, they must be accompanied by a "responsible" adult. A Qualified Medical Herbalist is allowed to supply clients with unlicensed medical herbalist stock such as; preparations, tinctures, glycerols, creams, ointments, powders in capsules or dried herbs. THR Licensed products can be sold without a consultation in the UK. Repeat preparations can be ordered by telephone communication with the medical herbalist.......
The answer is to become a client and get the right preparations, from a qualified medical herbalist, but it can be a good idea to check out the QUALIFIED person with the REGISTRATION BODY- i.e, College of Phytotherapy Practitioners, etc + check if they are insured, because if anything goes wrong...................
2011 European Directive, has revoked the Medicine Act 1968, Section12.2 has now gone with"herbal medicines exempt from licensing" after a 7 year transitional period. Now products sold over the counter must have a THMPD Licence or Product Licence(PL) and be registered with the Traditional Herbal Register, these products will be identifiable by a THR CERTIFICATION LOGO and a registration number, this also applies to PL which require a registration number. All of these products can be legally distributed or imported into the UK. ( at this time there are about 130 licensed products available) Unlicensed stock held at change over midnight on 30/04/11, can still be sold until it reaches expiry date, this allows unlicensed stock to be sold (+ the illegal movement and sale of unlicensed products,see BHMA COMMENT).
At this point in time Qualified Medical Herbalist carry on working under the Section 12.1, until they become HPC Registered, probably in 2013. They are only allowed to provide unlicensed preparations after a 1 to 1 Herbal consultation correctly carried out.
Advertising Standards Authority - Cap code, STOPS any practitioner from making claims that cannot be substantiated, so to say that you can cure, heal, treating or intervene in ailments is not allowed. This will stop "dodgy" misinformation and bad practice. It also stops advertisers and web-sites(within the EU) from making claims that are not honest or true. Also claims cannot be made about unlicensed herbs. Clinical studies and double - blind trial information can be offered BUT full data and information must appear.
The Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency(MHRA), is responsible for standards of safety and quality of products within the UK. The agency have control over all medical products in use in the UK, including Herbalism and Homoeopathy. The Agency is pro - active in protecting the general public, their web site is full of very useful information + problem, issue and recommendation updates