Provided by World Health Organization. Bulletin of the World Health Organization

WHO has released guidelines for ensuring the safety, efficacy and environmental sustainability of the US$ 60 billion a year herbal medicines market amidst an increasing number of reports indicating adverse health reactions caused by the misuse of medicinal plants.

The WHO guidelines on good agricultural and collection practices for medicinal plants, issued on 10 February 2004, are intended for national regulatory bodies and offer advice on cultivation and collection methods, site selection, climate and soil considerations and the correct identification of seeds and plants. They also offer guidance on post-harvest operations such as labelling and legal components including national and regional laws on quality standards, patent status and benefits sharing.

Representing an annual global market of US$ 60 billion every year, herbal medicines account for around 20% of the overall drug market.

According to WHO, up to 80% of the population in Africa depends on traditional medicine for primary health care and in China, herbal medicines account for 30-50% of total medicinal consumption. In Europe, North America and other industrialized regions over 50% of the population have used complementary or alternative medicine at least once.

"It is not a binding guideline for any country, but it is a model or a sort of checklist which they can use to make their own national regulations," said Hans Hogerzeil, acting Director of WHO's Essential Drugs and Medicines department.

Although, 70 countries have a national regulation on herbal medicines, the legislative control of medicinal plants lacks structure due to differing definitions of medicinal herbs and products and diverse approaches to their licensing, dispensing, manufacturing and trading.

Hogerzeil described an enormous unregulated industry in which huge amounts of leaves and traditional medicines are being shipped from various exporting countries such as China, India and Pakistan to many other countries. "Somebody has to regulate that, at least their safety," he said.

According to WHO, reports of patients experiencing negative health consequences caused by the use of herbal medicines are on the rise. These cases are usually linked to the poolquality of herbal medicines, the incorrect identification of plant species or inadequate labelling.

For example, ephedra or Ma Huang, traditionally used in China to treat respiratory congestion, was marketed in the states as a dietary aid. Overdosage led to at least a dozen deaths, heart attacks and strokes prompting the US Food and Drug Administration to issue a consumer alert in December 2003 on the safety of products containing ephedra.

The guidelines also address growing concerns over the potential threat to biodiversity posed by the booming herbal medicines market. Over-harvesting may lead to the extinction of endangered species and the destruction of national habitats and resources, warned WHO.

From healthy.net