I rarely start new threads having enough to do just keeping up with
other people's - but this topic needs exposure. Though only affecting
herbal teas so far:

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=41230

this, if true, it is likely to attract FDA heavy handed censorship in
Camellia sinensis marketing when the physiological benefits of EGCG
and theanine come to the fore.

Does anyone have more information about the FDA stance on this?

Nigel at Teacraft

Ive looked a little at the fda on tea & health, in the beginning,
but i then focused on my main interest: drinking tea.

some articles i found:
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1997/597_tea.html
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/296_tea.html
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2005/NEW01197.html
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/qhc-gtea.html

imho they should 'censor' unfounded claims. just like they 'censor'
bad medicine.

it doesnt matter anyway because people will do as they have done for
hundreds of years: go on hearsay and speculation not on science and
proof.

if people want to take root of plant to cure their cancer or
_insert_disease_here_ people wont care what the FDA says.

On Oct 26, 4:07 pm, SN gmail.com> wrote:

I think you missed the point - the FDA are allegedly and simple
mindedly endeavouring to rid the market of any food of beverage that
has any other action upon the body other than purely nutritional -
this would be serious for tea which is undoubtedly (and like many
other foods and beverages) physiologically altering (caffeine for one)
and psychoactively altering (theanine for another) - read
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=41230
and see what the man has to say.

Nigel at Teacraft

Nigel teacraft.com> writes:

Well, he does eventually say

Any herbal product that actually works will quickly find itself in the
FDA's crosshairs, especially if it is described with honest, accurate
language telling consumers the truth about what the product actually does.

Hi Nigel, nice to see you on the forum, I read the article and at
first glance its quite sobering. I would like to see the legislation
under which FDA outline these issues as they seem to be according to
the author so strict that it would be hard not to violate them. I t
seems that the author slams the FDA and has made some serious
allegations against them with regard to a MAFIA type modus operandi
with no evidince to back them up.He appears to be very aggressive and
angry with the FDA and the bias of the article becomes unbalanced.
With regard to tea, if coffee has been of no interest to FDA then I
believe that tea would be unaffected as well unsless the authors
accusations toward FDA are true but again the legal system in this
country is probably the most advanced in the world and any victim...

On Oct 26, 2:46 pm, Nigel teacraft.com> wrote:

FDA's stance with tea is that it is "generally recognised as safe", so
there is no danger of them ever banning it.

And as you kindly pointed out, the danger is in the providers who mis-
label the products.

On Oct 27, 4:02 am, Nigel teacraft.com> wrote:

A lot of people were similarly up in arms a while back about the FDA
banning all vitamins and supplements... it turned out to be nothing
and if anything companies like GNC/Vitamin World were the only ones...

On Oct 28, 10:06 am, "Dominic T." gmail.com> wrote:

yes. exactly.

~~~~~~~~~~

heres fda's page on dietary supplements: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/supplmnt.html
fda's label claims: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/lab-hlth.html
fda's label claims "that can be made" : http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/hclaims.html
~~~~~~~~~~

"the manufacturer is responsible for determining that the supplement
is safe and that any representations or claims made about it are
adequately substantiated.

Dietary supplements do not need to be approved by the FDA before they
are marketed."

from NEJM 2006 - Nutritional Supplements for Knee Osteoarthritis -
Still No Resolution
~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/qa-ind5m.html

"In some cases, herbs may be used for drug purposes and they then
become subject to the drug provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act discussed in Chapter II. " ? http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~acrobat/rediiabc.pdf
?

..."If no therapeutic claims are made or implied in the labeling or
other promotional material, such products are regarded as foods and
subject only to the food provisions of the law. For example, the herb
ginseng is permitted to be sold as a tea."

..."Food and Drug Administration will prevent the marketing of herbs,
for medicinal purposes, if they have not been determined to be safe
and effective for their intended uses."
~~~~~~~~~~~~

this is a long read if anyone is up for it : http://web.health.gov/dietsupp/toc.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nigel wrote...