post ephedra: fda to ban steroids, "precursors"...

[germeten]

US readers need to write their congressmen immediately against HR 207. This bill if passed will outlaw by April 2004, anabolic steroids "and their precursors" to include many herbs, including ginseng, damiana, suma, saw palmetto, etc. This is a bold attempt by the pharmaceutical lobby, who has been salivating for years to regulate dietary supplements! No longer will they have to compete against the herb industry because they will control both! Ephedra was just their foot in the door! Next it will be diuretics or any other supplement they will claim is a public health concern. Not having studied herbs as their profession, see how doctors have figured a way to pay themselves for just that while giving themselves as much time as they want! All they will need is a few articles, papers or published references on an herbs' benfits or risks as they see them, to begin prescribing. Direct access to dietary supplements, including natural anabolics, has always been about responsible use. All plant seeds contain steroids for their own growth! The bill's language defining "precursors and precursors of precursors" can be taken all the way back to corn, beans and cabbage! The general public doesn't know or understand this will affect the whole dietary supplement industry, not just anabolic distributors. The question occurs why the government wants to ban one of the most common chemicals and building blocks of all animal life-- testosterone!