French Pharmacopoeia has been updated and now includes certain plants and plant parts used in Food and Food Supplements

    Back in January, Lists A and B of the French Pharmacopoeia were revised, introducing new (medicinal) plants and plant parts. These changes impact the marketing of certain botanicals in Food and Food Supplements in France.

        List A: four new entries were added:
            • Bacopa monnieri (aerial part);
            • Epimedium brevicornu, Epimedium koreanum and Epimedium pubescens (leaf);
            • Mentha canadensis (aerial part);
            • Phyllanthus emblica (Emblica officinalis) (fruit).

    Plant parts included in List A are subject to pharmaceutical exclusivity, unless specifically released by decree. Their sale is reserved for pharmacists, and their use is prohibited in foods not sold in pharmacies. An exception applies to Food Supplements only when the use of these plants has been authorised under Decree No 2006-352. In such cases, Food Supplements may be sold by operators other than pharmacists.
    Currently, these new entries are:
            • Not authorised for use in Foods in general, and
            • Considered either Novel or only potentially usable in Food Supplements, subject to specific authorisation.

        List B: two new entries were added:
            • Prunus armeniaca, Prunus mandshurica and Prunus sibirica (bitter seed).
            • Prunus persica and Prunus davidiana (seed).

    Plant parts included in List B are considered to have potential undesirable effects that outweigh their expected therapeutic benefits. Their sale in France is exclusively reserved for pharmacists, and they are prohibited from being used in foods not sold in pharmacies, including Food Supplements.

    The seeds of Prunus armeniaca and Prunus persica are currently authorised in Food Supplements in France or in other EU Member States. Moving forward, these seeds, when used in Food Supplements marketed in France, may only be sold by pharmacists.