Fennel, berberine and hydroxycitric acid are the three new substances that the EC asked EFSA to evaluate under the Article 8 procedure, which allows the use of a substance to be restricted or banned on the 
EU market
This behind the reporting of countries such as Spain. France and Germany.
Going into the merits of the matter and dwelling in particular on Fennel or rather on the substance contained in it and incriminated, the estragole, already in the past the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) had raised the request for more studies on this substance putting Basil and Fennel itself under accusation for potential genotoxic and carcinogenic effects of this substance
LET'S MAKE IT CLEAR.
Methyleugenol and estragole are present in fennel essential oil and other aromatic plants, just to consider one of the molecules alkylbenzene under consideration.
And indeed they are "potentially" carcinogenic substances since in water they break down into carbocations (positive polarity) which can easily bind to the bases of DNA being of negative polarity, and therefore in theory could lead to alterations in the correct performance of the synthesis process of the regulatory proteins of cell mitosis.
However, as toxicology teaches us, here the dose taken comes into play, since to cause significant carcinogenic effects in humans, studies tell us that we should take a daily dose of methyleugenol 150 times higher than that taken by any person who eats pesto even twice a day.
Furthermore, as always, we should consider how for all studies involving plants, and I will never stop repeating this, consider the general action of the whole phytocomplex and not just take the single molecule.
Waiting for further developments, this episode also demonstrates the attitude of Europe and above all of Germany of wanting to put a spanner in the works of the health sector and in this case Italian food but also pharmaceuticals as these plants such as basil, fennel and other have therapeutic and physiological potential.
PAOLO PELINI: OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL GIORGIA MELONI, EUROPE WILL STOP TRYING TO BURROW THE EXTRACTS AND SUPPLEMENTS SECTOR
Dear President Giorgia MELONI.
With this open letter, I invite you in my role as president and scientific director of the Center for Scientific Control and Dissemination of Natural Substances, a center that has already distinguished itself for being the first to deny, thanks to our reports and scientific studies, the fake news on the dangers of aloe and other plants 
anthraquinones denying the report produced by EFSA, the European Food Safety Authority, which claimed with inconsistent studies and lacking of reliable data and experimental method that these plants or better products and contained in them were genotoxic and carcinogenic: nothing could be more wrong.
Now we find ourselves having to defend ourselves again. as a State and as the largest country that invests in research on plant extracts from EU countries, which do not recognize the importance of the molecules contained in plants either due to a lack in their culture or due to their interest in synthetics.
I mean, President Meloni. to the most recent attacks in Germany, France and Spain on fennel and basil considered carcinogenic and genotoxic due to the presence of estragole, a substance which, as I have repeatedly reiterated, can only be considered as such if taken in massive doses and isolated from its phytocomplex, therefore in conditions that cannot be achieved in a proper plant extract.
But in spite of this Europe has mandated EFSA to activate the procedure for the restriction of fennel and others on the basis of article 8 of the community regulation and the aforementioned body took two years to verify or rather look for a some shreds of evidence of the dangers of fennel, garcinia and berberine.
All of this, President Meloni, is not admissible! We strongly ask that the Italian Government make itself heard in Europe and ask for the closure or revision of EFSA as well as the banning of article 8 of the regulation which is used by some countries as a weapon against those who invest in natural resources.
As usual, we are ready to do our part to protect scientific truth and the health of citizens.
Best regards
Paul Pellini
Founder and Scientific Director of the Center for Control and Scientific Dissemination of Natural Substances
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Paul Pellini
Profession Herbochemist
Consulting and Research Quality Control and Pharmacognostic and Cytotoxicological Evaluation of Plant Extracts of Medicinal Plants, Microalgae and Bud Derivatives and Microbiota Research of Medicinal Plants
Scientific Responsible: Center for Control and Scientific Dissemination of Natural Substances - CCDSN
Rome Italy
Phone: 351/0461450
E-mail: paolo.pelini@gmail.com
http://www.paolopelinierbochimico.it
