ABSTRACT
Medicinal plants have been used as sources of medicine in virtually all cultures. Traditional systems of medicine still make a great contribution to the health of the people around the globe, and herbal medicinal products (HMPs) represent a substantial portion of the global drug market. Standardisation of traditional medicines and medicinal plant materials has become an essential activity in promoting traditional systems of medicine in any country. Standardisation is a process of developing the body of information and controls that guarantee the constancy of composition – and therefore the consistency of the efficacy of an HMP. The vast majority of clinical studies involving herbal medicines have used standardised extracts. Consistent quality of herbal medicinal products can only be assured by the quality control of starting plant material, in-process quality controls, good manufacture practice controls, quality control of finished products and specific actions applied to them throughout development and manufacture.
