Therapeutic goods for human use including traditional medicines which are imported or manufactured in Australia must be included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) in accordance with the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989. Instituted by the Common wealth Department of Health and Aged Care, the overall objective of the act is to ensure the quality, safety, efficacy and timely availability of therapeutic goods. The act controls the standard of all ingredients used in manufacture, advertising and label claims for products, registration of products on the ARTG, manufacturing and packaging conditions and controls (GMP). The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) of the government has established a Traditional Medicines Evaluation Committee (TMEC) to make recommendations on safety, quality and efficacy of herbal substances which are required to be listed or registered with ARTG. Appointed by the Minister, TMEC provides expertise for the evaluation of non-prescription traditional medicines and consists of six to nine members who are experts in clinical practice or teaching of alternative medicine: pharmacy professionals with expertise in pharmacognosy or plant toxicology, manufacture of alternative medicine, traditional medicine practitioners and clinical pharmacologists.