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This unbiased, interactive authority on herbs, vitamins,
minerals, and other food supplements tells you what's
proven to work - and what's not.
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Have you ever bought a natural health product after
seeing an ad for it or being told about it by a friend?
Are you thinking of taking a natural health product,
but you're not sure what to use? How do you know if
the information on the products is reliable? How do
you know which products are most suitable for you? This
brochure will help answer these common questions. If
used appropriately, herbal remedies and supplements
can help prevent and treat certain medical conditions
and reduce symptoms. For some people, these products
can also be used with their current medications to help
manage a medical condition. But before you buy or take
any herbal products, talk to your pharmacist so you
can know which ones are right for you.
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In January 2004, the Natural Health Products (NHP)
Regulations came into effect. Under the new regulations,
NHPs are defined as:
• vitamins and minerals
• herbal remedies
• homeopathic medicines
• traditional medicines such as Traditional Chinese
Medicines
• probiotics
• other products like amino acids and essential
fatty acids
In order to be sold for over-the-counter (OTC) use,
the product must be considered safe, effective and of
high quality. A pre-marketing review makes sure that
the manufacturing company is meeting the set standards
and that the product labelling information is supported
by scientific data. When a product is approved by Health
Canada, it will be assigned a Natural Product Number
(NPN). Canadians can rely on the NPN to let them know
that a product is of high quality and that the information
on its label is reliable. The chart below gives some
details about natural health products most thoroughly
tested.
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Keep the following questions in mind as your pharmacist
helps you to choose the best natural health product
for you:
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