Quality control methods for herbal materials
Abstract
WHO published Quality control methods for medicinal plant materials in 1998, in
order to support WHO Member States in establishing quality standards and
specifications for herbal materials, within the overall context of quality assurance
and control of herbal medicines. This publication came to be regarded as one of
the key technical documents in ensuring and controlling the quality of herbal
medicines.
At the end of 2007, the document WHO guidelines on assessing quality of herbal
medicines with reference to contaminants and residues was published. These two
publications were the result of joint activities between, among others, the teams of
Quality and Safety: Medicines (QSM) and Traditional Medicine (TRM) within the
WHO Cluster for Health Systems and Services.