Red yeast rice/Lovastatin/FDA--things that aggravate me.

amy31416 · 06-27-2008, 06:15 PM

Someone posted a link to an article that mentioned the FDA's banning of red yeast rice because it naturally contains "lovastatin." I did some research and it irked me to no end.

Okay, here's the synopsis of the development:

It has been used in Chinese medicine since at least 800 A.D. for various purposes and to remove "blood blockages."

Some American pharmaceutical company gets ahold of this stuff and extracts the specific chemical that lowers cholesterol, goes through the FDA, it's good stuff, few side-effects and the patent goes through.

Now, since red rice yeast is sold as a supplement (and has a controlled drug in it,) the FDA calls it illegal and bans it's sale. Allegedly, the only supplements of it that you can get do not contain the statin any longer. It is banned in it's original form.

This is absolutely outrageous. I'll be doing more research, mostly on how to ferment it yourself. Poor people in this country have to pay a manufacturer to produce the drug, when it's something that you can get from an herbalist and has been used for over a thousand years. Absolutely ridiculous.

Thanks to whomever posted that original article.

P.S. My mother (she's a nurse) talked to her pharmacist about it, and he confirmed that the supplement, in its original form did actually lower cholesterol. I know that's second-hand info, but I'm just sayin'.

driller80545 · 06-27-2008, 06:21 PM

oh the greed, the greed.

Dr.3D · 06-27-2008, 08:09 PM

What's next, they ban rolled oats or any form of oats, because it can lower cholesterol?

lucius · 06-27-2008, 08:20 PM

more bullshit greedy applied eugenics.

rancher89 · 06-27-2008, 09:19 PM

this kind of crap really pisses me off, what are they going to ban next?

good thing aspirin isn't a script, they'd ban willow trees......

amy31416 · 06-27-2008, 09:38 PM

Ya know what? I've moved on from being pissed to being vengeful. There is absolutely no reason that we can not make these supplements ourselves. They prey on ignorance.

Soapmistress is just as much of a chemist as I am (where's she been anyways?), if she can make soap and I can make stuff blow up, I can teach other people how to do this stuff. I've had enough of the government banning chemicals. I can't even get ammonia to clean with anymore.

Ninja Homer · 06-28-2008, 11:50 AM

This is truly wrong and disturbing. This is the equivalent of a pharmaceutical company patenting the "drug" that cures scurvy (vitamin C) and getting the FDA to ban the sale of all citrus fruit and other foods that contain vitamin C.

From the FDA (www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/redyeastrice081007.html):
"FDA testing revealed the products contain lovastatin, the active ingredient in Mevacor, a prescription drug approved for marketing in the United States as a treatment for high cholesterol.

These red yeast rice products are a threat to health because lovastatin can cause severe muscle problems leading to kidney impairment."

How much do you want to bet that red yeast rice, in its original form as nature intended, does not cause the "severe muscle problems leading to kidney impairment" side effects that the Mevacor does? That's usually what happens when a pharmaceutical tries to manufacture the active ingredient of a plant, while ignoring all the other chemicals that are usually included with it in nature; you end up with nasty side effects.

Selling "red yeast rice" growing kits might make a nice little home business. It sounds to me like the lovastatin is a product of the yeast, so you should be able to sell the yeast itself, although you should expect some trouble from the FDA eventually. This is the yeast you need: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monascus_purpureus
http://www.tradekey.com/ks-monascus-purpureus/

rancher89 · 06-28-2008, 03:17 PM

yeppers amy, I can make almost anything also, got my handy dandy how to book right here,

there are natural cures out there and they are going to take it all away from us.

next thing you know we'll all be eating soylent green.....

amy31416 · 06-28-2008, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rancher89

yeppers amy, I can make almost anything also, got my handy dandy how to book right here,

there are natural cures out there and they are going to take it all away from us.

next thing you know we'll all be eating soylent green.....

I'm not at all surprised that you can make almost anything, you're handy that way.

All of this sort of info on how to make things like this is perfect material for the new "Freedom Living" forum. http://www.ronpaulforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=65

Acala · 06-28-2008, 08:17 PM

You people are great! Being self-sufficient is more than just growing your own food. It is medicine. It is clothing. It is weapons. Etc. etc.

I believe this country is entering a time of great austerity. Our culture and our values are going to be severely tried and found wanting. The things our popular culture has taught our people to value will be found largely useless and the skills and attitudes that have been regarded as quaint or obsolete or even kooky will be revealed to be exactly those skills and attitudes that will prevail.

I canned my first jar of pickled beats today and attached a 55 gallon drum to my rain gutters. Tomorrow I will finish the soil prep in my garden and the nesting box to go into the chicken coop. And Monday I will watch the stock market to see if the time has come.

My girlfriend broke up with me because she thinks I have become too serious. She doesn't want to hear the bad news. I set up a garden for her and convinced her to invest in some silver coins. So she is better off than she was. Now she can go find a sensitive guy who likes to socialize and party all the time. Hope he knows what to do when the grid goes down.

I feel like Noah. Ahahahahaha!

By the way, niacin is good for controlling cholesterol AND it stimulates growth hormone release which is good for immune strength and healing. First they will try and get you on a statin drug. If you insist on niacin, they will try and get you to buy a prescription "time release" version. Screw that. Straight niacin is fine. If the flushing is too intense, take an aspirin half an hour before for the first two weeks until your body adjusts.

Now I'm rambling. Sorry!

06-27-2008, 06:15 PM	#1
amy31416 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Upper Volta Posts: 9,676	Red yeast rice/Lovastatin/FDA--things that aggravate me. Someone posted a link to an article that mentioned the FDA's banning of red yeast rice because it naturally contains "lovastatin." I did some research and it irked me to no end. Okay, here's the synopsis of the development: It has been used in Chinese medicine since at least 800 A.D. for various purposes and to remove "blood blockages." Some American pharmaceutical company gets ahold of this stuff and extracts the specific chemical that lowers cholesterol, goes through the FDA, it's good stuff, few side-effects and the patent goes through. Now, since red rice yeast is sold as a supplement (and has a controlled drug in it,) the FDA calls it illegal and bans it's sale. Allegedly, the only supplements of it that you can get do not contain the statin any longer. It is banned in it's original form. This is absolutely outrageous. I'll be doing more research, mostly on how to ferment it yourself. Poor people in this country have to pay a manufacturer to produce the drug, when it's something that you can get from an herbalist and has been used for over a thousand years. Absolutely ridiculous. Thanks to whomever posted that original article. P.S. My mother (she's a nurse) talked to her pharmacist about it, and he confirmed that the supplement, in its original form did actually lower cholesterol. I know that's second-hand info, but I'm just sayin'. Last edited by amy31416; 06-27-2008 at 06:26 PM. Reason: clarification

06-27-2008, 06:21 PM	#2
driller80545 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: texas Posts: 1,315	oh the greed, the greed. __________________ http://i44.tinypic.com/2q903k3.jpg

06-27-2008, 08:09 PM	#3
Dr.3D Remember! Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Under a rock Posts: 8,724	What's next, they ban rolled oats or any form of oats, because it can lower cholesterol? __________________ You laugh at me because I'm different. I laugh at you because you're all the same.

06-27-2008, 08:20 PM	#4
lucius Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 3,028	more bullshit greedy applied eugenics. __________________ "Masterful and arrogant wealth, created largely by Government protection of its profits, not content with its domination and influence within a single party, had sought to corrupt them both, and to that end had insinuated itself into the primaries, in order that no candidates might be nominated whose views were not in accord with theirs." (‘Colonel’ Edward Mandell House in 'Philip Dru: Administrator', circa 1912)

06-28-2008, 11:50 AM	#7
Ninja Homer Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 2,421	This is truly wrong and disturbing. This is the equivalent of a pharmaceutical company patenting the "drug" that cures scurvy (vitamin C) and getting the FDA to ban the sale of all citrus fruit and other foods that contain vitamin C. From the FDA (www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/redyeastrice081007.html): "FDA testing revealed the products contain lovastatin, the active ingredient in Mevacor, a prescription drug approved for marketing in the United States as a treatment for high cholesterol. These red yeast rice products are a threat to health because lovastatin can cause severe muscle problems leading to kidney impairment." How much do you want to bet that red yeast rice, in its original form as nature intended, does not cause the "severe muscle problems leading to kidney impairment" side effects that the Mevacor does? That's usually what happens when a pharmaceutical tries to manufacture the active ingredient of a plant, while ignoring all the other chemicals that are usually included with it in nature; you end up with nasty side effects. Selling "red yeast rice" growing kits might make a nice little home business. It sounds to me like the lovastatin is a product of the yeast, so you should be able to sell the yeast itself, although you should expect some trouble from the FDA eventually. This is the yeast you need: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monascus_purpureus http://www.tradekey.com/ks-monascus-purpureus/ __________________ John Stossel: But a lot of people like [the prescription drug program], hey, I'm getting my drugs paid for, they're free. Ron Paul: You know who else likes it? The drug companies. They spent quite a few millions of dollars, they did the highest lobbying, the profiteers were the ones who really pushed that program. But the assumption shouldn't be made that if you didn't have it, people wouldn't get their drugs. The market is designed to lower prices, not raise prices.

06-27-2008, 09:19 PM	#5
rancher89 Constitutional Supporter Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 1,759	this kind of crap really pisses me off, what are they going to ban next? good thing aspirin isn't a script, they'd ban willow trees......

06-27-2008, 09:38 PM	#6
amy31416 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Upper Volta Posts: 9,676	Ya know what? I've moved on from being pissed to being vengeful. There is absolutely no reason that we can not make these supplements ourselves. They prey on ignorance. Soapmistress is just as much of a chemist as I am (where's she been anyways?), if she can make soap and I can make stuff blow up, I can teach other people how to do this stuff. I've had enough of the government banning chemicals. I can't even get ammonia to clean with anymore.

06-28-2008, 03:17 PM	#8
rancher89 Constitutional Supporter Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 1,759	yeppers amy, I can make almost anything also, got my handy dandy how to book right here, there are natural cures out there and they are going to take it all away from us. next thing you know we'll all be eating soylent green.....

06-28-2008, 08:17 PM	#10
Acala Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 1,383	Liberation You people are great! Being self-sufficient is more than just growing your own food. It is medicine. It is clothing. It is weapons. Etc. etc. I believe this country is entering a time of great austerity. Our culture and our values are going to be severely tried and found wanting. The things our popular culture has taught our people to value will be found largely useless and the skills and attitudes that have been regarded as quaint or obsolete or even kooky will be revealed to be exactly those skills and attitudes that will prevail. I canned my first jar of pickled beats today and attached a 55 gallon drum to my rain gutters. Tomorrow I will finish the soil prep in my garden and the nesting box to go into the chicken coop. And Monday I will watch the stock market to see if the time has come. My girlfriend broke up with me because she thinks I have become too serious. She doesn't want to hear the bad news. I set up a garden for her and convinced her to invest in some silver coins. So she is better off than she was. Now she can go find a sensitive guy who likes to socialize and party all the time. Hope he knows what to do when the grid goes down. I feel like Noah. Ahahahahaha! By the way, niacin is good for controlling cholesterol AND it stimulates growth hormone release which is good for immune strength and healing. First they will try and get you on a statin drug. If you insist on niacin, they will try and get you to buy a prescription "time release" version. Screw that. Straight niacin is fine. If the flushing is too intense, take an aspirin half an hour before for the first two weeks until your body adjusts. Now I'm rambling. Sorry!

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