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In Reply: We agree with Dr Stoney and colleagues about the importance of documenting the integrity and stability of biologically active components in botanical products. In our study, we used a supplier (Vital Nutrients Inc, Middletown, Connecticut) that provided independent confirmation of the certificate of analysis data provided by the botanical grower. The supplier also provided 2-year stability data of hypericin content from a previous sample of H perforatum. We believed that we would have similar stability in the product used in our study.

However, our research demonstrated that pretesting and posttesting of the product were not sufficient because we did not learn of the constituent degradation until the study was completed. It would have been better to do periodic monitoring of the botanical constituents and obtain a new batch of product for the study when the levels decreased. Therefore, we encourage botanical researchers to review the NCCAM policy . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Wendy Weber, ND, PhD, MPH
wendyw@bastyr.edu
Department of Naturopathic Medicine
Bastyr University
Kenmore, Washington

Jon McClellan, MD
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
University of Washington
Seattle

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