Multiplicity of regulations, inadequate funding and non-availability of agro technologies are the factors detrimental to sustainable management of medicinal plants, said Dr DBA Narayana, leading scientist in herbal drugs and plant medicine.

Most countries have multiplicity of regulations which are always confusing with wild life, timber, and forest produce. Inadequate funding, non availability of agro-technologies, cultivars and germplasms are also major issues to be looked into, he said.

This is where joint forest management policies, fiscal policies to promote sustainable use from cultivated sources, improved technologies to reduce wastage, better storage, training for good harvest, collection, post harvest practices, fair pricing to collectors, simple and economic certification systems will simplify the management of medicinal plants. There is also a need to provide simpler and friendly paper work for farmers and collectors of medicinal plants, stated Dr Narayana in his presentation titled 'Quality Of Herbal Medicines: Need For Sustainable Management Of Medicinal Plants' while addressing at the 71st FIP (International Pharmaceutical Federation), in Hyderabad.

In the category of Herbals or Naturals, very few approved drugs are available. Therefore herbal supplements and cosmetics need major attention. Ensuring that safety is linked to quality, the overall regulation is weak with inadequate availability of quality specifications in the last decade. But thereafter, considerable progress has been made with access to credible, scientific information and specifications.

Safety of herbs is based mostly on history of safe usage (HOSU) which is specific to a particular herb, its process of collection, cultivation cleaning, storage and method of transportation. The scene of these activities has now moved from small local use to industrially operated methods in large scale. There is also a shift in usage from raw herbs to powder or extracts. This calls for authentic herbs, right quality extractive values, adequate potency, marker testing covering single marker-to multiple markers, process controls to detect negative markers.

Need is to objectively assess quality specifications,  contamination controls, pesticide and solvent residues. The  National Pharmacopoeia have progressed to provide such quality specifications. There is need to recognize that many herbs are natural accumulators of heavy metals and still do not cause any safety issues. So there is an urgent need for research into technologies and processes that ‘selectively remove contaminants,’ he said.

Delving into the Pharmacopoeial Specification, Dr Narayana said that in Indian Pharmacopoeia 2010 [IP2010], 89 monographs for herbs, processed herbs, including for extracts/oils, & herbal products are provided.

The United States Pharmacopoeia [USP] has covered over 180 monographs for herbs, powdered herbs, processed herbs including extracts, oils, and herbal products besides including for herbal dietary supplements. British Pharmacopoeia [BP] has in addition of 50 monographs for herbs, powdered herbs, processed herbs including extracts, oils, and herbal products.

European Pharmacopoeia [EP] has over 60 monographs for herbs, powdered herbs, processed herbs including extracts, oils, and herbal products.

Pharmacopoeia of Republic of China [PRC] has over 180 Monographs for herbs, powdered herbs, processed herbs including extracts, oils, and herbal products. In fact, it is the  Traditional Chinese medicines (poly herbal) versions which has highest quality specifications.

There are also challenges in the new science and tools needed for evaluation of  herbal products. There are single herbs versus poly herbal formulations and impact of proportions of each herb in the product. Therefore for the future, herbal scientists would need look at building a “Minimum Therapeutic Guarantee” basis and “Establishment of Natural Window” of few compounds & testing for the compliance, stated Dr Narayana.