Attorneys general from 14 states are begging the US Congress to do something about regulating herbal supplements.
Their petition was given urgency by the recent results from a study conducted at the request of the New York attorney general. Dietary supplements containing herbal extracts from four major retail chains were analyzed with DNA barcoding. The tests did not detect the plants listed on the label.
What Should Congress Do?
The attorneys general asked that Congressional subcommittees on product safety and health review FDA oversight and consider enhanced quality assurance programs. Ever since 1994, when Congress passed the Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act, FDA has taken a very different approach to regulating supplements than it takes on prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
