If Cascara Sagrada is banned, why is it still for sale?
Well, it’s a little confusing and convoluted to explain. It’s sort of banned, and it’s sort of not. The FDA banned it as an additive in new products, but not in products already on the market. So you can’t make a new product, marketed as a laxative with either aloe or cascara sagrada added in, unless your company conducts all the testing required for new drug certification. In the case of the cascara, that means carcinogenic testing- which none of the old companies wanted to do or submit. And FDA ruling only apply to prescription and over the counter medications. They don’t regulate nutritional suppliments or herbal medicines. So you can certainly still purchase it at stores that sell those. It’s the same with all the herbal remedies. The rules that apply to those are different than those applied to “drugs” as defined by the FDA. It’s classed as a nutritional supplement or herbal medicine, so they don’t regulate or control it. That means the supplement you buy is only controlled by the
