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Prince Charles detox 'quackery' Prince Charles detox 'quackery'
(10 minutes later)
Prince Charles has been accused of exploiting the public in times of hardship by launching what a leading scientist calls a "dodgy" detox mix.Prince Charles has been accused of exploiting the public in times of hardship by launching what a leading scientist calls a "dodgy" detox mix.
Edzard Ernst, the UK's first professor of complementary medicine, says the Duchy Originals herbal detox tincture is based on "outright quackery". Edzard Ernst, the UK's first professor of complementary medicine, said the Duchy Originals herbal detox tincture was based on "outright quackery".
There is no scientific evidence to show that detox products work, he says. There was no scientific evidence to show that detox products work, he said.
Launching the product in January, Duchy Originals' herbalist said each mix had been meticlously researched. Launching the product in January, Duchy Originals' herbalist said each mix had been meticulously researched.
Michael McIntyre added they were "manufactured to the highest standards after exhaustive lab testing".Michael McIntyre added they were "manufactured to the highest standards after exhaustive lab testing".
But Professor Ernst of Peninsula Medical School said Prince Charles and his advisers appeared to be deliberately ignoring science, preferring "to rely on 'make-believe' and superstition".
He added: "Prince Charles thus financially exploits a gullible public in a time of financial hardship."
Marketed as Duchy Herbals' Detox Tincture, the artichoke and dandelion mix is described as "a food supplement to help eliminate toxins and aid digestion".
It costs £10 for a 50ml bottle.
Detox doubts
Professor Ernst said the suggestion that such products remove toxins from the body was "implausible, unproven and dangerous".
Prince Charles and his advisors seem to deliberately ignore science and prefer to rely on ‘make believe' and superstition Professor Edzard Ernst
"Nothing would, of course, be easier than to demonstrate that detox products work. All one needed to do is to take a few blood samples from volunteers and test whether this or that toxin is eliminated from the body faster than normal," he said.
"But where are the studies that demonstrate efficacy? They do not exist, and the reason is simple: these products have no real detoxification effects."
Earlier this year the charitable trust Sense About Scientist produced a report seeking to debunk claims made about detox products.
Its researchers reviewed a series of products, from bottled water to face scrub, and found the detox assertions to be overwhelmingly meaningless.