REFERENCE the news item requiring legislation for herbal medicine (July 9) by the department of Biochemistry University, Karachi University. Herbal products are a two-centuries-old concept when therapeutic medicament was not known. People on this planet were at the mercy of quacks who used to treat the sick with herbs. They had to gulp bowlful of black/brown concoctions of herbs which was ugly to look at, displeasing to taste and nauseous in smell.

In some instances it did cure but in some conditions it worsened the condition of patients and finally killed them.

In fact, herbal-based products are simply extracts and not products which have already been given due recognition by Drug Regulation Authority in Pakistan (DRAP). Products from herbs have already been taken out (please see Merck Index). Herbs contain scores of toxic and non-toxic substances which are more dangerous than the current synthetic drugs. Thus they may cause metabolic syndrome.

We are passing through the age of e-medicine, personalised medicine and molecular medicine. Leave it. A tablet of 500mg of paracetamol can relieve headache and fever in half an hour while herbal extract cannot do. My humble opinion in this respect is to consider synthesising safe drugs using amino acids, nucleic acids, etc., as raw material instead of looking to progress backward. The HEJ Institute is looking forward, they are synthesising molecular medicine.

Dr M. Qudrat-i-Khuda

Karachi

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2017