Germany, herbal product regulation

OEP is regulated as a dietary supplement in the United States. It is approved in Canada as an over-the-counter product for use in EFA-deficiency conditions and as a dietary supplement to increase EFA intake. In the United Kingdom, it is on the General Sales List. In Germany, OEP is approved for use as food and is approved there in the treatment and symptomatic relief of atopic eczema. In Sweden, OEP is classified as a natural product. OEP has a Class 1 Safety Rating with the American Herbal Product Association (1,2,7). 

Echinacea is sold as a dietary supplement in the United States and as natural health products in Canada, while in Germany and many European countries, Echinacea products are sold as drugs in pharmacies (Bauer, 2000). There are a number of products on the market, which include dried herbal and root, alcohol tinctures and extracts, and expressed juice products, thus, standardization would be a difficult task. However, regulation would be less difficult because all of these products would fall under a dietary supplements category. 

---