Doctors who support the TGA, epidemiologists, statisticians and pharmacologists are experienced and qualified to assess ‘natural’ medications. The idea that to assess ‘natural’ therapies they must have some extra ability is misguided. The process for assessing ‘natural’ remedies and any other substances that are claimed to have therapeutic benefits is exactly the same. Being ‘natural’ means nothing, its just a marketing label. Whether the juice comes from the manure of a lactating cow fermented in a cow’s horn buried on a root day under a descending moon, or a test tube, it can still be judged the same way.
Candidate medicines should be judged exactly the same way regardless of labelling, origin or age. This means nobody gets any free kicks whether it is a new ‘wonder drug’ from GlaxoSmithKline or a traditional treatment. If it cannot be shown to do any good then warn people not to waste their money and their hope on it.
