From 1904 to 1994 the FDA was fairly strict about banning most herbal remedies. Indeed, the FDA was created, in part, to limit the types of "snake oil" treatments that used to abound, and to limit the claims that could made for unproven treatments. But DSHEA opened the door to unproven treatments. In theory, the companies behind these treatments are not allowed to make medical claims, but we've all seen them walk right up to the line and make claims that sound somewhat medical.
This is because of the oddly libertarian 1994 DSHEA act:
https://ods.od.nih.gov/About/dshea_Wording.aspx
From 1904 to 1994 the FDA was fairly strict about banning most herbal remedies. Indeed, the FDA was created, in part, to limit the types of "snake oil" treatments that used to abound, and to limit the claims that could made for unproven treatments. But DSHEA opened the door to unproven treatments. In theory, the companies behind these treatments are not allowed to make medical claims, but we've all seen them walk right up to the line and make claims that sound somewhat medical.