TEHRAN -- Nowadays, the use of herbal drugs in our society is increasing. Accordingly the TEHRAN TIMES decided to have an interview with Dr. Hamid Reza Rasekh, the planning and programming deputy of Tolid Daru company, and associate professor of toxicology in Shahid Beheshti University. His statements concerning the subject follows: Our country, Iran, is among the few countries in the world having a long history of traditional medicine. In progressive civilizations, medicine dealing with the health of the people is considered as a valuable standard and a developed medical system can be a good criterion for the system's development.

We have many written documents indicating that traditional medical treatments like energy therapy was performed in ancient Iran. We have many things to present in traditional medicine. We have many practitioners whose writings are referred to as a document in the new medicine.

In our country's modern medical practice, unfortunately, there is no trace of the use of herbal drugs.

In Europe, at present, a considerable percentage of people use herbal drugs, while in Iran a very small figure of our medical drug index is related to herbal drugs, perhaps below 5%.

In drug companies and also in legislative system there are basic weaknesses, which can be called hard legislation.

The Ministry of Health wants to supply people with drugs that it is confident are safe. Of course, this is a good thing.

Most people think whatever nature presents is harmless, whereas many herbal products contain toxins. Even the water we drink every day should not be drunk extravagantly or less than needed.

There are, I'm sad to say, cases when people have been taken to hospital. Even there have been cases of mortality due to the use of anti-obesity herbal drugs.

Most drugs have natural origins of some kind, but most medicinal products in us have side-effects.

This is technically referred to as "risk vs.

benefit".

We should warn people against the overuse of herbal products. The key to better health is moderation.

Developed countries make herbal capsules, tablets, and syrups from the pure content of the herbs and put it on the market. For instance, they have made Ginko TD, which is extracted from the Ginkgo tree.

This is the situation of herbal drugs in the world. In the United States they have a 130% increase in the use of herbal drugs.

The ministry of health should leave pharmaceutical technicians free to introduce their drugs into the market as soon as possible.

People should be warned against acquiring herbal drugs from shops and supermarkets, because their drugs may contain viruses and bacteria.

It should be noted that, owing to its climatic variety, Iran is home to a wide spectrum of plant and vegetable species. Our plant produces are some of the best in the world.

There are companies in Iran which extract and export herbal syrups, the same extracts which later are marketed in Iran at more than 35 times their basic price.

To avoid this, the government should provide these companies with facilities that would enable them to compete with foreign competitors.

WE hope physicians would also get into the habit of prescribing herbal drugs instead of their chemical equivalents, whenever possible.

There are hospitals in Germany which treat their patients with herbal drugs. After taking courses in herbal drug treatment, physicians are licensed to practice in prescription of such drugs. But here the Ministry of Health does not sponsor such programs.