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Newsweek interviewed IU McKinney Professor of Law Nicolas P. Terry for a May 4 story, “Woman Who Claims Cabbage Juice 'Cures' Autism and Can Regrow Limbs to Be Probed by Officials.”

The story concerns officials in Ohio, who have demanded proof from a woman who has falsely claimed that fermented cabbage juice can “cure” everything from autism to homosexuality. Jillian Mai Thi Epperly, 44, from Canton, Ohio, claims that a substance called “candida” causes disease in the body, and that drinking a gallon of a “protocol” she calls "Jilly Juice" every day can be used to treat it.

Despite her claims to cure a range of serious health conditions that qualified clinicians widely accept require medical treatment, she warns readers of her website nothing on her website should be "construed to be medical advice" and that it has not been approved by the FDA.

In Newsweek, Professor Terry pointed to the case of POM Wonderful LLC. In 2016, the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia upheld a decision by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that the makers of the pomegranate juice had made unsubstantiated claims that its products could treat and prevent heart disease, prostate cancer,and erectile dysfunction.

“The FTC position, upheld by the courts, is that such claims require competent and reliable scientific evidence consisting of randomized, well-controlled human clinical testing,” Professor Terry said.

Professor Terry is the Hall Render Professor of Law and Executive Director of the William S. and Christine S. Hall Center for Law and Health. He teaches Torts, Products Liability, Health Information Technology, Law & Science, and Health Care Quality. His research interests lie primarily at the intersection of medicine, law, and information technology, and he currently serves as He is a permanent blogger at Harvard Law School's Bill of Health. Professor Terry is also is the co-presenter of the “The Week in Health Law” podcast.