This document defines key terms related to herbal medicines and describes herbal materials, preparations, and products. It defines an herb as a plant used for medicinal purposes. Herbal medicines use plants to treat or prevent illness. Herbal medicinal products contain exclusively herbal substances or preparations as the active ingredient. Herbal preparations, such as extracts or tinctures, are the basis for finished herbal products and are produced through various extraction or processing methods. Finished herbal products consist of one or more herbal preparations from one or more plant sources, with or without additional excipients. The document also discusses good agricultural practices for cultivating medicinal plants, including organic farming and pest management techniques.

2. UNIT - I
Herbs as raw materials
Definition of herb, herbal medicine, herbal medicinal
product, herbal drug preparation Source of Herbs Selection,
identification and authentication of herbal materials
Processing of herbal raw material
Biodynamic Agriculture
Good agricultural practices in cultivation of medicinal
plants including Organic farming. Pest and Pest
management in medicinal plants: Biopesticides/
Bioinsecticides.

6. Herbal materials
⚫Herbal materials include, in addition to herbs,
fresh juices, gums, fixed oils, essential oils, resins
and dry powders of herbs.
⚫In some countries, these materials may be
processed by various local procedures, such as
steaming, roasting or stirbaking with honey,
alcoholic beverages or other plant materials.

7. Herbal preparations
⚫Herbal preparations are the basis for €nished herbal
products and may include comminuted or
powdered herbal materials, or extracts, tinctures
and fatty oils of herbal materials.
⚫They are produced by extraction, fractionation,
purica€ tion, concentration or other physical o
r
biological processes.
⚫They also include preparations made by steeping
or heating herbal materials in alcoholic beverages
and/or honey, or in other materials.

8. Finished herbal products
⚫Finished herbal products consist of one or more
herbal preparations made from one or more herbs
(i.e. from different herbal preparations made of the
same plant as well as herbal preparations from
different plants.
⚫Products containing different plant materials are
called “mixture herbal products”. Finished herbal
products and mixture herbal products may contain
excipients in addition to the active ingredients.
⚫However, €
finished products
products to which chemically
or mixture herbal
defined active
substances have been added, including synthetic
compounds and/or isolated constituents from
herbal materials, are not considered to be “herbal”

9. Herbal medicine
⚫The definition of herbal medicine is the use of plants
to prevent and treat an illness, or to achieve good
health, as well as the drugs and tinctures that are
used.
⚫An example of herbal medicine is using a tincture
made from ginger to relieve an upset stomach.
⚫Also called Herbalism, Phytomedicine or
Phytotherapy.

10. Herbal medicinal Product
⚫Herbal medicinal products are medicinal products
where the active ingredient consists exclusively of
herbal substances or herbal preparations.
⚫Natural remedies are medicinal products where the
active ingredient is of natural origin and consists of an
animal part, a bacterial culture, a mineral or a salt.

11. Herbal Drug Preparation
basis for
⚫Herbal preparations
finished herbal products
are the
and may include
comminuted or powdered herbal materials, or
extracts, and
tinctures
of herbal materials. They are
fatty oils
produced by
extraction, fractionation, purification,
concentration or other physical or biological
processes.

22. Thank you