Take that, royal quack!

The heir to the throne has always prided himself on his alternative views, establishing himself as something of a royal iconoclast who gives voice to public fears over GM foods and nanotechnology, while pioneering a simpler vision of society based on championing organic agriculture, local produce and traditional architecture.

But this time, Prince Charles's embrace of the alternative has led to him being accused of peddling "outright quackery".

Britain's leading academic expert on complementary medicine has warned that the Duchy Herbals Detox Tincture - a food supplement, which combines artichoke and dandelion and promises to rid the body of toxins while aiding digestion - is based on notions which are "implausible, unproven and dangerous".

The heir to the throne, says Edzard Ernst, professor of complementary medicine at Exeter University, is deliberately ignoring science, preferring to rely on "make-believe and superstition".

Ernst said: "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. Under the banner of holistic and integrative healthcare he thus promotes a 'quick fix' and outright quackery.

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