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I find the ideas promulgated in this article deeply disturbing. The idea of pulling out a couple of chemicals and standardizing them is a turning away from the holism that herbal remedies represent. This is the very essence of the complaint against conventional pharmaceuticals and why people are turning to herbals. That there is a problem with consistency in marketed herbal products seems clear. However, requiring patentable, purified chemical combinations would be tantamount to making true herbal medicine illegal. In an age in which a leading cause of death in the United States is hospital-and-doctor-caused illness, I believe I have the right to choose a different path to health than conventional medicine and pharmaceuticals.
Victoria Baker
Redway Calif.
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James A. Erdman
Crestone, Colo.
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Edward G. Robles
Franklin, N.C.