Out of interest, would you be willing to say what they were?
TTT, is it possible your goods were sent back because the particular chemical/plant etc. is maybe prohibited here due its actions?
That website is extremely unscientific. But anyway (I assume you have used other sources to check the safety and allergenic profile of carvacrol and thymol, as it sounds to me like the oil components are too powerful for safe long term use), it sounds like they just extract the oil naturally which could well mean no distillation but just putting the oregano in olive oil and leave for three weeks in a jar in the sun. This is very easy to do yourself, and you will have a much fresher, and hence, more powerful oil.
Don't know if you know but the Wild Oregano they are talking about you can find all around you in the hills in CH. Just take a few shoots and by summer next year you would have enough for two liters of oil . But perhaps it is only the essential oil which is useful and then making it yourself is very hard indeed.
ok, I did some research into Puritan's Pride, as I was wondering about what kind of quality they provide, and I found out they also produce many other common brand supplies, e.g., Solgar, Nature's Way, Holland and Barrett, Nature's Bounty, and they supply the Dutch chain De Tuinen.
Just posting this because I think for example Solgar is much more expensive!
This thread has been quiet for a while, so here is a question I hope gets a few answers / comments please
Does anyone know what the regulations are, if any, about selling basic vitamins, minerals, supplements in Switzerland? I used to be a distributor for a certain company many years ago, in the UK.
I am thinking of importing the stuff here, mainly for personal use, but wondered about possibly doing a small side-line business with re-selling.
Apart from the usual business registration / taxation side of things, does anyone know if there is a special registration or permission needed?
I fear that only pharmacists or specific shops might be able to sell these kinds of products, hence the very high price and difficult accessibility to a good range of products here.
Looking forward to hearing from anyone......
Vitamins and mineral compounds fall under pharmaceutical law. They require approval, approved package inserts in the three national languages, and must be sold by experts in pharmacies and drug stores. The factories are subject to periodic inspections.
If you want to know more, head over to swissmedic . I guess the reselling is too much of a hassle though.
That's very useful Nathu, thanks.
I heard that there are some Herbalife distributors in Switzerland, legally able to sell vitamins etc here, but I doubt they are experts - in other countries anyone can sell the products. I will try and find out how they do it, or have some special training perhaps.
I'd suggest placing a call to Jane Cole at the MHRA in London, she can no doubt put you in touch with her "equivalent" within CH.
As far as the EU is concerned, 90% of "supplements" fall under what is known as "borderline" cases which means that they aren't quite a food, but they aren't quite pharmaceutical either - meaning there is a vast swathe of "grey area" - the individual above is essential the "grey area police" in the UK govt, and incidentally a thoroughly nice person.
Had to do quite a lot of work with her when I was working for a major UK importer of supplements from the US, and as long as you play off a straight bat she'll be genuinely helpful (without bending or breaking laws, but she will be very helpful with what you can and can't do)
Of course it may be that EU legislation applies equally to this field in CH (I have no idea personally) which would then mean that she would be almost certainly the best person to speak to in order to find out where you stand.
If you already have some products in mind then you can pm me some ingredients lists and I can try and give you a heads up on what might cause you a headache if you try to import things...?
Very much appreciated contact advice Terry, will follow up on that. I got some info today that there may even be cantonal differences!
I have been recommended to take Vitamin A capsules by my UK GP and when I visit Switzerland I find some chemists will sell it to me and others ask for a Dr's prescription? Is there a hard and fast rule? Is it, or is it not, a prescription item?
I have never seen Vitamin A just on its own, and in the case of a high dose perhaps they either must, or want, to see a prescription. However, Sunstore and other pharmacies I go to sell Burgestein multivitamins containing A and you do not need a presecription.
I guess in some cases the pharmacy might be liable if someone becomes ill from an over-dose, so perhaps they can insist on a presecription, if they have some concerns, but I am not sure what the law is on this.
The other day I was surprised to learn that I cannot ask for low dose "aspirin cardiac" 100 mg without presecription, but absolutely no problem to ask for Aspirin 100mg! In terms of active ingredients they are the same ! I have also on accasions bought 500mg aspirin (no presecription required of course!) and cut into 4 pieces!
Bizarre.
Hm, well I would suspect that if it was restricted to prescription then it would make sense - it's a fat soluble vitamin (meaning that it isn't excreted out with waste fluids like others) and so therefore the risks of toxicity and overdose are higher than in most cases - so, only allowing it to be sold to someone with specific medical instructions on what dose to take seems like a common sense approach to me. As with Cavehomme however I'm not sure what the legal situation is.
If you need to increase vitamin A then I would suggest eating more broccoli / sweet potato / liver (bleugh) rather than popping a pill.
You could also take a teaspoon of cod liver oil daily, it has up to 10000 units of Vit A if I remember correctly, and you get natural Vit D to take you through the winter (helps against seasonal depression, helps prevent MS, is good for the prostate etc.).
Good evening госпада! We sent similar products from Bulgaria to Switzerland and no problems existing. Certainly not so it is frequent
Good evening misters! We sent similar products from Bulgaria to Switzerland and no problems existing. Certainly not so it is frequent
The matter is that in each country the dosage is independently defined. And the same preparation can concern in one country to medicines, in another to Food Supplimenth. Therefore in one country it can be on sale freely, ав others only пе to the recipe of the doctor and only in drugstores.
Evgeny
Unfortunately in the European union yet have not created the uniform approach to requirements on application and dosages Food Supplement. This work is spent, but will be accepted, as I know, in 3 6 years. Then all the European countries will apply uniform standards.
Evgeny
Misters, prompt, who in Switzerland gives out the sanction to free sale food supplemets in territory of Switzerland? And whether in general it is necessary to receive this sanction? What documents on food supplemet are necessary for presenting? Thankful in advance, Evgeny
Nathu,
Interestingly, and food supplements too concern to the competence swissmedic?
Nathu, Interestingly, and food supplements too concern to the competence swissmedic? We make some products in Bulgaria, therefore we have the big interest and we try to find the person or the company which can incur import and sale of our production in territory of Switzerland. Our site: www.grinton.eu
Evgeny
Merry Christmas forum readers I've been reading this thread and could anyone advise: is this Muller Reform store in the village of Rennweg or near the tram stop Rennweg on Banhaufstrasse?
For me, it is time to start thinking healthy after the holiday excess
I Live In The Usa, Can Someone Direct Me To A Website Where I Can Purchase Geriavit By Pharmaton , It Is Currently Unavailabe Here In The Usa. It Is Definately Produced In Switzerland And Sold In Swiss Pharmacys, Its Also Producerd By Boehringer Ingelheim, Lugano, Switzerland. I Need To Find A Pharmacy That Will Post To The Usa, Sincerely ,patrick.
It is at the tramstop Rennweg. You need to take the street 'behind' the main Bahnhofstr. Take one of the small-ish streets that go towards the old town. The Muller shop is somewhere near the Franz Carl Webber shop.
Is there a shop in Zurich like Holland & Barrett in the UK which sells vitamins, fish oils and other health supplement products?
Thanks in advance!
Any "Reform Haus" (not what it sounds like to British ears!) should have the kind of thing you're looking for. There's the Muller chain, all over the place, or there's the Egli shop in the main station, downstairs from McWC, next to the North Sea wannabefishandchip shop, opposite Migros and the posh wine shop.
As mentioned any Reform Haus or any Drogerie or Apothek as well for that matter. My guess is you won't have to walk more than max 500 m from were you live to find a place. In my little city/village of 6'000 inhabitants we have 3 of them.
Migros and Coop also have a substantial selection in their shops.
I have given up on buying these in Switzerland. I now buy them from the UK, even with shipping fish oil is much cheaper. (Search the forum for 'cod liver oil' if you need the company).