Protocols on Safety, Efficacy, Standardization, and Documentation of Herbal Medicine (IUPAC Technical Report)
Protocols on Safety, Efficacy, Standardization, and Documentation of Herbal Medicine (IUPAC Technical Report)
M. Mosihuzzaman and M. Iqbal Choudhary
Pure and Applied Chemistry, 2008
Vol. 80, No. 10, pp. 2195–2230
doi:10.1351/pac200880102195
“Health for all” is a dream and a goal which humanity at large shares and strives for. Unfortunately, it has now been proven without doubt that modern pharmaceuticals are, and will remain, out of reach for a large proportion of the human population for the foreseeable future. This has created an appreciation and a need for the use of other sources of human knowledge to provide common health benefits. Alternative and traditional medicines, largely herbal in nature, are now regarded as important but under-utilized tools against disease. The World Health Organization recognized this fact in the early 1970s and encouraged governments to effectively utilize local knowledge of herbal medicines for disease prevention and health promotion. Herbal medicines, however, suffer from a range of shortcomings. These include insufficient and unacceptable evidence of safety, efficacy, standardization, and inconsistent production practices.
This technical report compiles and analyzes the current scientific knowledge on herbal medicine and highlights the practical ways for ensuring the safety of herbal preparations and evaluating their claimed efficacy. Emphasis has been given to the methods for standardization of herbal medicine and the ways and means for moving forward to achieve the difficult goal of preparing herbal medicines of consistent quality and effects. Pragmatic approaches have been recommended to overcome the difficulties in 1. protecting intellectual property rights; 2. producing safe, potent, standardized, and affordable herbal medicine; and 3. documenting the knowledge base on herbal medicine in an easily accessible format.
Page last modified 6 January 2009.
Copyright © 2003-2009 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
Questions regarding the website, please contact edit.ci@iupac.org
Protocols on Safety, Efficacy, Standardization, and Documentation of Herbal Medicine (IUPAC Technical Report)
M. Mosihuzzaman and M. Iqbal Choudhary
Pure and Applied Chemistry, 2008
Vol. 80, No. 10, pp. 2195–2230
doi:10.1351/pac200880102195
“Health for all” is a dream and a goal which humanity at large shares and strives for. Unfortunately, it has now been proven without doubt that modern pharmaceuticals are, and will remain, out of reach for a large proportion of the human population for the foreseeable future. This has created an appreciation and a need for the use of other sources of human knowledge to provide common health benefits. Alternative and traditional medicines, largely herbal in nature, are now regarded as important but under-utilized tools against disease. The World Health Organization recognized this fact in the early 1970s and encouraged governments to effectively utilize local knowledge of herbal medicines for disease prevention and health promotion. Herbal medicines, however, suffer from a range of shortcomings. These include insufficient and unacceptable evidence of safety, efficacy, standardization, and inconsistent production practices.
This technical report compiles and analyzes the current scientific knowledge on herbal medicine and highlights the practical ways for ensuring the safety of herbal preparations and evaluating their claimed efficacy. Emphasis has been given to the methods for standardization of herbal medicine and the ways and means for moving forward to achieve the difficult goal of preparing herbal medicines of consistent quality and effects. Pragmatic approaches have been recommended to overcome the difficulties in 1. protecting intellectual property rights; 2. producing safe, potent, standardized, and affordable herbal medicine; and 3. documenting the knowledge base on herbal medicine in an easily accessible format.
Page last modified 6 January 2009.
Copyright © 2003-2009 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
Questions regarding the website, please contact edit.ci@iupac.org
© 2014 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co.
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- Celebrating Worldwide Excellence in Chemistry
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- Chemical Heritage Foundation Fellowships
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- IUPAC Executive Director–Expression of Interest
- Glossary of Terms Related to Kinetics, Thermodynamics, and Mechanisms of Polymerization (IUPAC Recommendations 2008)
- Protocols on Safety, Efficacy, Standardization, and Documentation of Herbal Medicine (IUPAC Technical Report)
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- Biophysical Chemistry of Fractal Structures and Processes in Environmental Systems
- Macromolecular Symposia–recent volumes
- Chemical Education
- Physical Organic Chemistry
- Molecular Order and Mobility in Polymer Systems
- Trace Elements in Food
- Chemical Thermodynamics
- Aromatic Compounds and π-Systems
- NICE ’09
- Other Conferences of Note
- Mark Your Calendar
Articles in the same Issue
- Masthead
- From the Editor
- Contents
- Toward the Next Renaissance of Chemical Science in the 21st Century
- Periodic Tables and IUPAC
- The IUPAC International Chemical Identifier (InChI)
- Celebrating Worldwide Excellence in Chemistry
- Nanotechnology in Good Health?
- Inverted Methane
- Yuan Tseh Lee to Be President of the International Council for Science
- Leading Scientific Organization Affirms Freedom, Responsibility, and the Universality of Science
- Remembering Dana Knox
- Chemical Heritage Foundation Fellowships
- The Royal Society of Chemistry and ChemSpider to Develop InChI Resolver
- IUPAC Executive Director–Expression of Interest
- Glossary of Terms Related to Kinetics, Thermodynamics, and Mechanisms of Polymerization (IUPAC Recommendations 2008)
- Protocols on Safety, Efficacy, Standardization, and Documentation of Herbal Medicine (IUPAC Technical Report)
- Solubility Data Series Volume 85: Transition and 12–14 Main Group Metals, Lanthanide, Actinide, and Ammonium Halates
- Solubility Data Series Volume 86: Ethers and Ketones with Water
- Future Energy–Improved, Sustainable, and Clean Options for Our Planet
- Biophysical Chemistry of Fractal Structures and Processes in Environmental Systems
- Macromolecular Symposia–recent volumes
- Chemical Education
- Physical Organic Chemistry
- Molecular Order and Mobility in Polymer Systems
- Trace Elements in Food
- Chemical Thermodynamics
- Aromatic Compounds and π-Systems
- NICE ’09
- Other Conferences of Note
- Mark Your Calendar
