Latest developments on European regulations for medicines based on medicinal plants.
Dear friends,
Your widespread mobilization against the THMPD Directive (Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products) has yielded an important first victory: European authorities have acknowledged the directive's devastating impact and committed to concrete proposals to mitigate it.
This commitment emerged during a pivotal meeting in Brussels on June 21, 2011, organized by MEP Michèle Rivasi. It followed our petition and the numerous parliamentary questions you helped inspire, directed at the European Commission.
Titled “Everything You Want to Know About the Traditional Herbal Medicine Products Directive,” the event drew 70 attendees. It provided the perfect platform to deliver your signatures directly to Andrej Ryz, Director of the Public Health Directorate at DG Health and Consumers, European Commission.
Yet the reality remains stark: the situation is dire.
Anthony Humphrey, a director at the European Medicines Agency, revealed that of 1,351 applications submitted over seven years for traditional plant-based medicines, only 53 have been approved—a mere 4% success rate, with 87% rejected outright. Shockingly, not a single French submission has been accepted.
The crisis we foresaw is unfolding. The directive has sown unprecedented legal uncertainty, favoring only major pharmaceutical giants with dedicated legal teams.
In France's artisanal herbal shops—those few that remain—the air is thick with despair. Wholesalers face paralysis, unsure if they can legally distribute plants or preparations. Caution has led many to halt operations entirely.
Full implementation in April triggered chaos: initial alarms gave way to false reassurances, but consensus now holds that small operators face extinction in the short-to-medium term.
We pointed to big pharma's influence, but the Brussels roundtable exposed a grimmer truth: the European Commission lacks fundamental understanding of traditional herbal medicine. Local practices by gatherers, producers, and herbalists—centuries-old—were overlooked, effectively dooming them through unintended regulation.
Commission representatives confirmed they won't amend the directive unilaterally. However, MEPs, led by French MEP Michèle Rivasi, pledged action amid the public outcry we've fueled.
For the Institute for the Protection of Natural Health (IPSN), this means intensifying collaboration with MEPs to secure meaningful amendments.
Nationally, France's authorities must urgently clarify interpretations, defining permissible practices for health professionals.
Individually, you can help too.
Spread awareness of the threats to our right to choose natural medicines.
Promote proven natural treatments—the strongest case for herbal medicine's value.
Subscribe to free resources like Jean-Marc Dupuis' newsletter for cutting-edge insights on natural solutions backed by science. Visit www.institut-protection-sante-naturelle.eu or click here to sign up with your email.
IPSN will vigilantly monitor MEP proposals and sustain pressure for real-world change.
Best regards,
Augustin de Livois
Director
www.institut-protection-sante-naturelle.eu
Institute for the Protection of Natural Health – 253A Chaussée de Wavre – 1050 Brussels
