India however has the richest medical tradition in the world. It is a gold mine of well-recorded and traditionally well-practised knowledge of herbal medicine. It is the largest producer of medicinal herbs and is rightly called the botanical garden of the world. There are very few medicinal herbs of commercial importance which are not found…
Medicinal plants are essentially consumed either as traditional medicines administered by traditional practitioners to the local population or as plant-derived commercial medicines dispensed as patented/licensed products on prescription or as over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. The latter mostly are products of allopathy with even products of traditional systems of medicine such as herbal nutritional supplements, cosmetics and…
Global resurgence of interest in medicinal plants has resulted in explosive growth of the herbal drug industry. Today modern medicine uses 7,000 compounds that may be sourced to plants. Natural products have until recently been the primary source of commercial medicines and drug leads. A recent survey revealed that 61% of the 877 drugs introduced…
The last few decades have witnessed pandemic herbal drug usage against the setting of rising global disease burden outweighing the technological advancements and introduction of newer synthetics and biologicals in the growing pharmaceutical industry. Explosive population growth in the developing world, increasing interest in industrialized nations and ensuing huge international market for herbal products is…
Herbal medicine regulation in Saudi Arabia was established in 1996 is the issue of a separate law specifically for herbal medicines. The regulatory categories for herbal medicines include over the counter medicines, dietary supplements, health foods and functional foods. By law, medical, health, nutrient content and structural function claims may be made. An herbal preparation is…
The market In Saudi Arabia, herbal medicines are sold in pharmacies as prescription and over the counter medicines and in special outlets without restriction. A national research institute on herbal medicines is part of King Saud University. Legal status The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is currently developing a national policy, laws and regulations on TM/CAM.…
In India, national policy on TM/Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) was introduced in the form of Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940 and the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules of 1945. This has been updated in 1964, 1970 and 1982. These govern and regulate the import, manufacture, distribution and sale of drugs and cosmetics. In 1959,…
The market Traditional medical knowledge in India dates back to antiquity and use of herbs for curative properties have been recorded in the Vedas, some of the oldest written records in the world. Ayurveda, the oldest written medical system, is richly supplemented with ancient medical compilations and current scientific research is validating the traditional medicine…
For new drugs to be included as prescription drugs, applications with specified data on safety, stability, clinical test results etc. are required. New Kampo drugs are regulated in essentially the same way as Western drugs in Japan. They are regarded as a form of combined drug, and the same data required for new western drugs…
The market Traditional medicine in Japan may be divided into folk medicine and Kampo medicine, i.e., Chinese medicine from ancient China. Herbal medicines have been used effectively in Japan for the past 1,400 years and similar to the situation in China, today raw medicinal herbs used as folk medicine are combined with modern preparations in…