In recent years, Crinum latifolium L. - a precious medicinal plant from folklore experience has been adequately proven by science in terms of chemistry, pharmacology and clinical trial. With the scientific research work, highly effective drugs for the treatment of BPH and uterine fibroids has been manufactured. This leads Crinum latifolium L. to have a chance to “bloom”.
Be dizzy with... Crinum latifolium L.
Going to pharmacies to buy medicines manufactured from Crinum latifolium L., the fact that so many Crinum latifolium L. products are sold in the market makes me feel “dizzy”. Briefly listed, dozens of types of products have packaging designed attractively, pharmaceutical properties, indications and instructions written adequately. Most of them are just dietary supplements extracted in the form of capsules and sold in pharmacies. If careless, users are likely to mistake them for therapeutic medicines.
Many readers have the same concern about choosing what kinds of products. Vu Viet Dien - a patient living at 23, 354/137 Truong Chinh, Dong Da, Ha Noi (Telephone number: 04.38528047) was so anxious that he wrote a letter to Minister of Health to ask him directly that ‘Which company’s Crinum latifolium L. is recognized to be reliable and effective medicine’. All products are nice and advertised to be good. When being launched to the market, they are formally licensed but ads are really “exaggerateing”.
Ads say what they like
According to the Circular No. 08/2004/TT-BYT issued on August 23, 2004 by the Ministry of Health, dietary supplements (DS) are used to support functions of body’s organs, provide nutrition, and help the body have comfortable condition, increase the resistance, and reduce the risk of disease. However, many products are advertised illegally; for examples, there is a product clearly marked on its box that this product is not medicine and not intended to replace therapeutic medicines, but they are not stated to be dietary supplement as regulations.
Through Section a/Part 3 of the Circular No. 08/2004/TT-BYT, it is decided that the content of manuals for products with specific use needs to having name of product groups (food supplements, health food, dietary supplements, diet food, or medical foods). However, on the box of DS product manufactured from Crinum latifolium L. information is not written sufficiently for consumers to distinguish they are medicines or DS such as capsule C. By naked eyes, it is likely to confuse these products with medicine because on the box, their use and dosage are written the same as that of medicine and some other products do not have expiry date.
Some Crinum latifolium L. products even “forget” the Circular No. 08/2004/TT-BYT issued on August 23, 2004 by the Ministry of Health that it is “a must” to have this sentence: “This product is not medicine and not intended to replace therapeutic drugs” but another affirmative sentence: “This is a dietary supplement without any side effects.” On box and in the instructions, manufacturers also forgot to mention the expiry date, contraindications; for example, can pregnant women use this product? (under Section a/ Part 3 of the above Circular).
Such diversified dietary supplements make users worry and come up the intention to use pharmaceuticals. However, supplements have many kinds and herbs have many species…
Reported by DONG HUONG