About Naturemedies UK

How Naturemedies started

The idea had an old root. Somewhere between 2005 and 2008, a friend of mine realised there was a way to sell Brânca Ursului from Romania to the US. They tried it for a couple of months and the sales were very good. Then the orders started arriving in America broken, because nobody knew how to pack an order, and they had to give it up. The business died of bad packing. The idea stuck with me.

Years later I thought: why not, I can do the same thing, here in the UK. So the first product was Brânca Ursului and nothing else, in every variation, tincture and capsules. I knew it had been successful in Romania in 2015 and 2016, and I said: let’s put up something I know will sell.

Honestly, for the first three or four years I was a little bit lazy. I didn’t work on the website. The products I brought in 2017 and 2018 were not looked at by anyone, and I was sure the website was not working and I had no sales.

I did have sales. The number I remember from that first year is six orders, and I had totally forgotten them. In theory a customer could pay online, but the payment option was never activated, so those orders went in blank and nothing notified me. The people didn’t complain, because no one was taking their money. Only years later did I realise I had six blind sales, and six blind sales would probably have made me work on the website a little bit earlier than I actually started. It was 2019 and 2020 before I started to sell properly and to make a name in the UK.

What those years taught me is who my customer is. Romanians from Romania know their brands. They watch Romanian TV, they see the commercials, they know which new food supplement appeared in Romania this season, and that is the one they want. Put a British brand next to it that does exactly the same, and they will still go for the Romanian one. Most of what they ask me for, a British shop would never stock. That is the reason this shop exists.

Brânca Ursului is still on the shelf. And I do know how to pack an order.

— The founder of Naturemedies

Naturemedies imports Romanian and Eastern-European food supplements, herbal teas, tinctures and cosmetics into the UK under UK and EU food law. We bring products that are well known at home and little known here, and we ship them from our own stock in England. We started with Brânca Ursului from Dacia Plant and other Romanian supplements, and later added delivery to the USA and Israel. The labels of imported products are translated into English on our website, and in the product leaflets where the manufacturer supplies them, in line with UK legislation and EU labelling rules. Registration authority for most of our products: National Research–Development Institute for Food Bioresources — IBA Bucharest, National Service for Herbal Products and Hives. The plants are grown by the manufacturers themselves or bought from local growers. We read the composition of what we list, so that the ingredients, the quantities and the precautions on our pages match the pack. What we sell, and what we do not claim Most of what we sell are food supplements, herbal teas and cosmetics. They are not medicines. We do not claim that they prevent, treat or cure any illness, we do not compare them with medicines, and they are not a substitute for a medicine your doctor has prescribed or for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Where a product supplies enough of a vitamin or a mineral for an authorised claim under the GB nutrition-and-health-claims register, that wording is on the product’s own page. Where an ingredient is a plant with no authorised claim, we describe what the plant is and how it is used traditionally, and nothing more. If you are taking prescribed medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have a diagnosed condition, speak to your GP or pharmacist before starting any supplement. Naturemedies is not a registered pharmacy. Where we list a general sale list (GSL) medicine, read the patient information leaflet supplied with it, keep to the stated dose, and get medical advice if symptoms persist or get worse. OTC Products We sell products classified as GSL and OTC under the next provision of the government: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/medicines-reclassify-your-product

General sale medicines

People can buy general sale medicine packs from retail outlets such as corner shops and supermarkets. The medicines—also called ‘general sales list (GSL) medicines’—are also available for self-selection in pharmacies. General sale medicines are taken for common, easily recognised ailments which usually last around 2–3 days. These medicines cause few troublesome side effects in normal use. To reduce the chances of harm from inappropriate use, many general sale medicines packs contain only a few doses and they often carry advice to get help from a health professional if the ailment does not improve or gets worse. A general sale medicine may be advised for treating a limited range of conditions whereas the same medicine can be used for a wider range of conditions when it is sold as a pharmacy medicine and an even wider range of conditions when supplied on prescription. Prescription-only medicines and pharmacy medicines can be used at higher doses and for a longer duration than general sale medicines. Also, medicines in general sale packs may be used for only certain groups of people; for example, they may not be advised for use by children or during pregnancy. Examples of general sale medicines include small packs of painkillers and of antihistamines for hay fever and other allergies.

Over-the-counter medicines

‘Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines’ covers all general sale medicines and pharmacy medicines. The description conveniently distinguishes medicines that can be bought from those that must be prescribed. The term ‘over the counter medicines’ is informal and is not used in the UK medicines regulations. We advise our customers to take these products only after carefully reading the leaflets, and only with the recommendation of a GP.