Many of the research works on herbal drugs being carried out in various parts of the country currently are not reproducible and lacking accountability. The published research works of most of the scientists and institutes in the country when duplicated under the set conditions, do not give concurrent results. What is required, therefore, is quality research based on ethics to sustain the credibility of herbal medication, according to Prof Dr V Gopal Puducherry, Principal, College of Pharmacy, Mother Theresa Post Graduate & Research Institute of Health Sciences, Pondicherry.

While addressing a group of senior scientists at the Academic Staff College in Pondicherry, Dr Gopal, who was the founder scientist in Torrent Pharmaceuticals in Ahmedabad, said many of his duplicate researches applying the set conditions have failed and found that the publishers of research papers were false claimers as well as exaggerating scanty experiments without rightful results. He said unless a research is reproducible or quality oriented, it cannot be counted as an authentic experimentation for new knowledge or development. It is a mere false claim.

Later while speaking to Pharmabiz, he said, “Quality Research on herbal medicine is a high scientific culture which gives a positive experience and a win-win situation for all. But when we try to copy some researches that have conducted in some other places, applying same conditions in our laboratory, we do not get the claimed results. This means that everyone is exaggerating the results just for publishing and getting it patented without qualitative and authentic research work”. He warned that although the traditional systems of medicine have used herbal medication for centuries, without regulation, trusting the words of manufactures can be dangerous and some times fatal.

Dr Gopal said following good research practice in herbal medicine is an effective strategy in achieving health for all. Good research practice is the right research at the right time, with the right investigators conducted with the highest ethical standards. A strong commitment is required from the research community to follow good research practice and to provide quality information about herbal medicine to the public and health professionals. He pointed out that rigorous quality research was needed to support the claims of herbal medicine for the benefit of mankind.

While explaining various stages of research he said, the way research is conducted on herbal medicine has undergone myriad changes recently which include botanical verification, good agricultural production practice, good collection practice, evaluation of literature reports with emphasis on review of safety and efficacy literature, phyto-chemical isolation techniques, good clinical practice pharmaceutical assessment of the quality, safety & efficacy of herbal medicine and pharmacological and toxicological evaluation.

He said that the need for regulations on herbal medicine is another area where attention has to be given now. Herbal medicine users assume that herbs are natural and therefore safe, but using herbal medicine has become dangerous because in many cases the doses are unknown, often the labels are misleading and they can interfere with prescription medications, foods and other herbs. All the herbal remedies need regulatory information on its labels. The regulatory agency should make sure that the label claims are true. So the agencies have to establish legal standards for the quality and safety of all herbal medicine, regulations to eliminate herbal medicine whose efficacy has not been proven, and methodology to achieve power and resources to enforce herbal regulation.

Quality research, with a commitment for attaining advancement in the discipline of herbal medicine, will make the world experience the efficacy of herbal products validated through modern science, the scientist said.