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Latest News (last updated October 17th 2012)
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A number of newspapers have reported that a study in Australia has found traces of substances in Chinese medicines which should not be present. The study only relates to a small sample of medicines found in Australia, and not to products sold in the UK.
Herbal medicines in the UK have been subject to more stringent rules since May 2011 and further strengthening is expected by 2013. Chinese medicine is very safe when prescribed correctly by a properly trained practitioner. Members of the public are therefore advised to only seek treatment from a practitioner who is registered with a professional organisation, such as the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine.
The Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine is committed to consumer protection and encourages its members to use medicines from the most reputable suppliers. In 2004, the RCHM launched an Approved Suppliers Scheme, the first of its kind in the UK , whereby suppliers of herbs and herbal products who wish to join the scheme are audited by an independent pharmaceutical auditor. The Approved Suppliers Scheme has been revised and extended this year, and details will be available from the RCHM shortly. |
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An opinion paper published by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has concluded that Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture may have roles to play in the treatment of dysmenorrhoea, endometriosis, irritable bowel syndrome and pelvic infectious disease.
It states that Chinese medicine can be used alongside or as an alternative to conventional treatments and stresses that more research is needed. RCOG advises patients to only seek treatment from a practitioner who is a member of an organisation such as the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine.
Read the paper here. |
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Bear bile products seized
The RCHM is very concerned that the Metropolitan Police has seized bear-bile products from Chinese medicine shops in the UK. The shops under investigation are not linked with the RCHM. We strictly prohibit the use of bear bile by our members for the following main reasons:
1) It is wholly unacceptable for healthcare professionals to use medicinal substances derived from endangered species.
2) The production of medicinal substances involving inhumane methods is unacceptable on ethical grounds.
3) In most cases alternatives to the use of bear bile can be found amongst plant medicines with similar therapeutic functions. |
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Chinese herbs can match Tamiflu in flu treatment
Chinese herbal medicine can be as effective in the treatment of some flu symptoms as Tamiflu, research has shown. The findings have been published in Annals of Internal Medicine, a prestigious journal from the American College of Physicians.
Researchers compared a Chinese herbal medicine with oseltamivir, which is marketed as Tamiflu, on 410 patients who had been diagnosed with the H1N1 influenza virus.
To test the effectiveness, researchers looked at how quickly body temperature was brought down to 37 degrees Celsius or under. When patients were given either Tamiflu or the Chinese medicine, both treatments were effective: Tamiflu resolved fever within 20 hours, and the Chinese medicine resolved fever within 16 hours. When patients received Tamiflu in combination with the Chinese medicine, the improvement was significant, with fever resolution within 15 hours. This compares with untreated patients, where fever resolved in an average of 26 hours.
Those receiving the herbal treatment alone had less need for antibiotics: only 9.7% were given antibiotics, compared with 15.7% of those receiving Tamiflu alone.
Further details are available in the RCHM's press release. |
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The RCHM has linked up with TigerTime which is campaigning to save the wild tiger from extinction. We are very concerned that tiger parts, as well as rhino horn, are still being used in medicines in some countries.
In the UK , there are strict laws preventing the use of endangered species and we strongly support any moves to protect animals around the world. Find out more about TigerTime. |
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Pregnancy rates double with Chinese medicine
Women receiving Chinese herbal medicine are twice as likely to get pregnant than those receiving Western medical fertility treatment, according to new research.
Researchers at the University of Adelaide reviewed a range of studies which in total had involved 1,851 women aged from 18 to 45 years who had received treatment for infertility. They found Chinese herbal medicine achieved on average a 60% fertility rate, compared with 30% for standard Western medical drug treatment or IVF.
Read the RCHM's full press release here. |
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Javan rhinoceros in Vietnam extinct
The Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine is shocked and saddened to hear that the WWF has announced that the Javan rhinoceros in Vietnam is extinct. The RCHM strongly condemns the illegal trade in endangered species and has a strict policy prohibiting the use of any type of endangered species by any of our members. We do not consider rhino horn to be a medicinal ingredient, and herbal substitutes are readily available. In the UK , no animal or mineral products should be used in Chinese medicine. It is illegal to use animal or mineral products in unlicensed medicine and most herbal medicines come into this category. This issue is monitored by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (part of the Department of Health). The RCHM understands that rhino horn was removed from the Chinese medicine pharmacopeia in 1993; the pharmacopeia is administered by the Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China. |
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Chinese medicine and endometriosis – new study published
A rigorous feasibility study, the first of its kind in the UK , looking at Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of women with endometriosis has been completed.
Twenty-eight women with a diagnosis of endometriosis were treated at an NHS clinic in London or at a private clinic in Hove . They were given either a placebo or Chinese herbal medicine for 16 weeks. Those taking the herbal medicine reported relief in menstrual pain.
The trial was randomised, controlled and double-blinded. The results have been published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (volume 17, Number 8, 2011, pp691-699).
For details, see the RCHM's press release. |
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Latest news - Chinese medicine benefits patients receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer
Chinese medicine can help support women who are being treated for breast cancer, according to new research published in the current issue of The Oncologist.
The study showed that capsules comprising 14 herbs helped to prevent anaemia and to maintain patients' immune systems whilst they were taking chemotherapy.
For more information see the RCHM's Press Release.
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Chinese medicine helps relieve Parkinson's Disease symptoms
Chinese medicine can help relieve some of the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, according to new published research.
Researchers studied the effect of a mixture comprising 14 Chinese herbs on patients. Volunteers who took the herbs for 13 weeks experienced better motor function and increased levels of physical activity than those given a placebo. They also slept better and had more fluent speech.
The findings have been published in the Parkinson's Disease Journal
The Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine is very encouraged by this published research which backs up our members' clinical experience that Chinese herbal medicine can benefit people with Parkinson's Disease. In the case of a serious illness such as this, an RCHM practitioner will liaise with the patient's other healthcare professionals. |
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WHY THE GOVERNMENT IS RIGHT TO REGULATE HERBALISTS.
Gary Minns, RCHM President discusses the importance of Government regulation for herbal practitioners in this article in Pulse magazine. |
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| February 2011 |
RCHM response to announcement that statutory regulation has been granted with the HPC.
Press release issued 16.02.11
'The Department of Health today announced that herbalists, including practitioners of Chinese herbal medicine, will be regulated by the Health Professions Council from April 2012.
Emma Farrant, secretary of the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine, said,
“We are very pleased with this decision. Statutory regulation will ensure that only the most competent practitioners can continue to treat the public.
“The RCHM has been calling for the proper regulation of herbalists for over a decade and we will work closely with the HPC to ensure a smooth transition to the new system.”
While the HPC statutory register is being set up, the RCHM is urging the public to only seek Chinese herbal treatment from practitioners who are members of a professional body. The main organisations in the UK are the RCHM and the Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
In 2008, a Department of Health steering group stated that the RCHM has demonstrated “good practice with regard to protecting the public” and has “operated appropriately under a voluntary code”.
The RCHM was set up in 1987 and is a voluntary register with 450 members. To join the register, practitioners must be trained to degree standard in Chinese medicine, adhere to a code of ethics and have full professional insurance.'
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Bill Gates gives £7m to anti-malarial herbal research
Research into the herb Artemesia annua, or Sweet Annie has been boosted by £7m by Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. The anti-malarial drug artemisinin is derived from the herb and research into a fast-track breeding programme in on-going at the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (CNAP), part of York University's biology department. Malaria kills more people than any other disease in the world.
| The herb is also known as Sweet Wormwood, or qinghao, and was used by Chinese herbalists in ancient times to treat fever, but had fallen out of common use, to be rediscovered in 1970 when the Chinese Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergency Treatments (340 AD) was found. This pharmocopeia contained recipes for a tea from dried leaves, prescribed for fevers (not specifically malaria). In 1971, scientists demonstrated that the plant extracts had antimalarial activity in primate models, and in 1972 the active ingredient, aremisinin (formerly referred to as arteannuin ), was isolated and its chemical structure described. |
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Because of increasing resistance to cheaper drugs such as chloroquine, fifty-one countries use artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) for treating malaria. The cost of production is high, however, because the yield in Artemesia annua is low even in the best varieties, and the rapid adoption of ACTs has created a shortage, which has driven up the price of artemisinin.
CNAP aims to create new, non-GM Artemesia annua cultivars with increased yield of artemisinin to reduce the cost and secure a supply, making combination therapies cheaper and accessible for people who have malaria.
"Malaria is robbing Africa of its people and potential," Mr Gates said. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is supporting three international projects over five years.
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