"FDA seizes $71k in herbal tea products..."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, continuing its campaign of censorship against truthfully-described herbal supplements, seized $71,000 worth of Charantea herbal supplements last week in a raid involving U.S. Marshals. The company, Fulllife Natural Options, was accused by the FDA of marketing an "unapproved drug" due to the truthful marketing claims that accurately describe the blood sugar lowering effects of the product's main ingredient: Bitter Melon fruits.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, there is no such thing as an herb, food or supplement that has any biological activity whatsoever on the human body (other than simply providing calories), and any person who dares to make such a claim is immediately considered to be in violation of the FDA's authority. Any substance that has any therapeutic effect whatsoever on the human body is considered by the FDA to be a "drug" and must be approved as such -- a lengthy process costing about $800 million and requiring the favor of an agency that practically works for Big Pharma.

The FDA is well known for its censorship efforts against nutritional supplements. Earlier this year, the agency sent threatening letters to 29 cherry growers, warning them to remove all links to scientific literature describing the anti-inflammatory effects of phytonutrients found in cherries. Merely linking to such studies from a web page, the FDA warned, instantly transformed cherries into drugs requiring FDA approval. The FDA believes that the dissemination of scientific information about the health benefits of fruits, vegetables and plants simply cannot be tolerated.