Charles accused of 'quackery'

10 March 2009 03:18pm

A leading scientist has accused the Prince of Wales of endangering public health and promoting "outright quackery" with a new Duchy product.

Professor Edzard Ernst branded the £10 detox tincture "a dangerous waste of money" and said Charles was misleading people and ignoring science.

The leading academic, who is a professor of complementary medicine at Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, said detox went against the "tablet of medical history" and there was no evidence such products worked.

The body was more than capable of detoxing itself, he said, adding the Prince was financially exploiting "a gullible public in a time of financial hardship".

The tincture, which is part of the Duchy Herbals range of products, is on sale via the Duchy website and in selected Boots stores and Waitrose.

The website says the tincture, which contains dandelion and artichoke, is "a food supplement to help eliminate toxins and aid digestion".

Prof Ernst said the Prince and his advisors "seem to deliberately ignore science and prefer to rely on 'make believe' and superstition.

"Prince Charles contributes to the ill health of the nation by pretending we can all over-indulge, then take his tincture and be fine again," he added.

Andrew Baker, chief executive of Duchy Originals, said Duchy Herbals Detox Tincture had never beend described as a medicine and added: "There is no 'quackery', no 'make believe' and no 'superstition' in any of the Duchy Originals herbal tinctures.

"We find it unfortunate that Professor Ernst should chase sensationalist headlines in this way rather than concentrating on accuracy and objectivity."

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