The WHO guidelines on good agricultural and collection practices (GACP) for medicinal plants provide technical guidance for obtaining quality medicinal plant materials for herbal products classified as medicines. GACP ensures quality control which directly impacts safety and efficacy. The guidelines cover good agricultural practices, collection practices, and objectives like sustainable harvesting levels and appropriate collection techniques. They address issues like obtaining necessary permits, collecting during optimal seasons, ensuring personnel safety, and respecting national regulations to support sustainable cultivation and collection of medicinal plants.

1. Quality Control & Standardization Of
Herbals
WHO Guidelines On GACP Herbal
Medicines
By
Kaushal Kumar

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
01 02 03 04
Introduction Objective General
Requirements
Explanation

3. The WHO guidelines on good agricultural and collection
practices (GACP) for medicinal plants are mainly intended to
provide general technical guidance on obtaining medicinal
plant materials of good quality for the sustainable production
of herbal products classified as medicines.
Quality control directly impacts the safety and efficacy of
herbal medicinal products. GACP for medicinal plants is only
the first step in quality assurance, on which the safety and
efficacy of herbal medicinal products. and will also play an
important role in the protection of natural resources of
medicinal plants for sustainable use.
INTRODUCTION

4. → Quality assurance of medicinal plant materials used as the source.
→ Improve the quality, safety and efficacy of finished herbal products.
→ To encourage and support the sustainable cultivation and collection of
medicinal plants of good quality.
WHO Guidelines on GACP for Medicinal Plants is divided into two sections –
► Good Agricultural Practices for Medicinal plants
► Good Collection Practices for medicinal plants
Objective Of GACP

5. ► Good Collection Practices for medicinal plants
Collection practices should confirm the long term survival of wild populations and
their associated habitats. Management plans for collection should provide a
framework for setting sustainable harvest levels and describe appropriate
collection practices that are suitable for each medicinal plant species and plant
part used (roots, leaves, fruits, etc.).
The collection of medicinal plants raises several complex environmental and
social issues that vary widely from region to region.
Objective Of GACP

6. → Permission to Collect
→ Technical Planning
→ Selections of Medicinal Plants For Collections
→ Collection
→ Personnel
WHO Guidelines On GACP

7. → Permission to Collect
In some countries, collection permits and other documents. from government authorities and
landowners must be obtained prior to collecting any plants. From the wild. Sufficient time for
the processing and issuance of these permits must be allocated at the planning
stage. National legislation such as national “red” lists, should be consulted and respected.
→ Technical Planning
All the information on the target species (taxonomy, distribution, phenology, genetic
diversity, reproductive biology and ethnobotany) should be obtained.
Data about environmental conditions including topography, geology, soil, climate at the
prospective collecting site, should be organized and presented in a collection management
plan.
WHO Guidelines On cGMP

8. → Selections of Medicinal Plants For Collections
The species or botanical variety selected for collection should be the same as that specified
in the national pharmacopoeia or recommended by other authoritative national documents
of the end-user's country, as the source for the herbal medicines concerned.
→ Collection
Medicinal plant materials should be collected during the appropriate season or time period
to ensure the best possible quality of both source materials and finished products. It is well
known that the quantitative concentration of biologically active constituents varies with the
stage of plant growth and development.
WHO Guidelines On cGMP

9. → Personnel
The collection team should take measures to ensure the welfare and safety of staff and
local communities during all stages of medicinal plant sourcing and trade.
All personnel must be protected from toxic and dermatitis-causing plants, poisonous
animals and disease-carrying insects.
Appropriate protective clothing, including gloves, should be worn when necessary.
WHO Guidelines On GCP

10. THANKS!
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