Utah firm agrees to change 'antibiotic herb' ads following NAD challenge
LDM-100 contains an extract of the root of the Lomatium dissectum plant claimed to have anti-bacterial properties.
However, the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (NAD) was “very concerned that the advertising may cause consumers to forgo medical treatment for their virastatic, bacteriostatic and fungicidal infections” given that Barlow’s ads “implied that LDM-100 performs like a pharmaceutical grade antibiotic”.
An industry-backed forum scrutinising national ad campaigns, NAD was asked to investigate the claims about LDM-100 by the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN).
The disputed claims included:
- ‘LDM-100 – Broad spectrum plant antibiotic, Virastatic, Bacteriostatic, Fungicidal (influenza, colds, respiratory and urinary infections, staph and strep infections, skin infections, warts, etc).’
- ‘Destined to become one of the most important antibiotic herbs known to man – ET Krebs.’
The company said in a statement: “Barlow Herbal accepts NAD's decision and will take its recommendations into consideration in future advertising.”