OTHER COUNTRIES CAN ADVISE ON HERBS

Editor -- So herbal supplements are a danger to the public and need to
be regulated according to the ``experts'' on the ad hoc Dietary
Supplement Safety Committee in the Bay Area (``Scientists Rip Herbal
Remedies,'' January 21). Let's be clear: The FDA already has the power
to remove dangerous substances, and should. As for the 180 deaths
linked to herbal products, the FDA does not investigate such reports,
it merely files them.

Would that this committee had an equal zeal in investigating the
100,000 people who died last year from taking fully approved,
doctor-prescribed pharmaceutical drugs.

If these self-appointed public protectors truly want to regulate herbs
in the right way, they should look to other countries for guidance.
Germany, for instance, has a separate government agency which oversees
the use of herbs. Moreover, they are fully accepted and prescribed by
conventional doctors. Would that the country which prides itself on
having the best medical system in the world offered its patients the
same range of treatment options, instead of the prejudice masquerading
as scientific rigor.

LORI MILES,
Sunnyvale