Quality Control and Standards of Medicinal Products: A Committed Agenda

The use of medicinal products of various categories is burgeoning geometrically in the global landscape over the past few decades. Although Africa and Asia culturally remain the home for complementary and alternative medicines (CAM), the north with the most sophisticated allopathic medical system is making headway in CAM use. Whilst herbal medicine is generally considered "safe" because it is natural and neutral, copious evidence suggests that herbal medicine could be lethal if not used rationally. Education and training of practitioners, scientific validation, legislative regulation of herbal medicine use and open patient-practitioner communication remain the crux of the safety, quality and standardisation of medicinal products.