I am always surprised at the lengths to which some people will go, to get companies to fork over lucrative settlements to them. They need money so they find or make a reason to file a grievance, feeling all the while that they are justified in their actions. Many class action lawsuits are filed for legitimate reasons and when they are won, they bring forth needed change. Several class action lawsuits, such as the one environmental activist, Erin Brockovich, brought towards The Pacific Gas and Electric Company of California, for its contamination of drinking water, have brought forth monumental change. Some grievances; however, seem to be an unlikely stretch in manipulating the law to rule in the claimant’s favor. The issues generally make little difference to the attorney because they charge by the hour and care only about winning the cases they take on.
A class action lawsuit is being filed in Illinois against RicolaⓇ, the makers of an herbal cough drop. They are proclaiming that the herbs that are listed on the packaging as inactive ingredients, are misleading; and that they do not provide the therapeutic benefit that the company claims they provide. There are probably hundreds, if not thousands of products, that do not live up to their advertising assertions. The people who are filing the lawsuit say that they had paid a premium price for the cough drops and they felt that it was only the menthol in the product that provided them with relief. If they really believed that, why didn’t they just buy one of the cheaper cough drop brands?
I have used herbs for most of my life and although their healing qualities are far more subtle than man made drugs, they have worked for millennia – and there are no side effects! I have had a bout of springtime allergies in recent weeks with the wind and the air heavy with tree pollen. It has been so intense at times that I was very close to having an asthma attack. I have kept RicolaⓇ in my bag so whenever I feel an asthma attack coming on, I take one of the cough drops. It calms my lungs down almost immediately. These herbal cough drops, in addition to menthol, contain extracts of elder, horehound, hyssop, lemon balm, linden flowers, mallow, peppermint, sage, and wild thyme. The best part is that they contain no artificial color, artificial flavor, or preservatives – and for me that is well worth paying a slightly higher price. Since the Food and Drug Administration does not want to admit that herbs are beneficial, my guess is that RicolaⓇ has to list them as “inactive ingredients” or they would be considered “false” claims. As long as we continue to let Big Pharma run the world, most people will never learn to appreciate the many amazing gifts of herbs that the world has provided us.
