Herbal Medicine and Its Importance in Healthcare

It is generally accepted by all concerned that modern pharmaceuticals will remain out of reach of many peopleand ‘health for all’ may only be realized by the use of adequately assessed herbal products. Mankind has beenusing herbal medicine for healing right from the beginning of human civilization. With the advent of ‘modernmedicine’ herbal products have been looked down upon, especially by western societies. Yet, in recent times,use of herbal medicine for healthcare has increased steadily all over the world. However, serious concernsare being realized regarding the safety, claimed efficacy and quality of herbal products used as herbalmedicine, nutraceuticals, health food and cosmetics. Although herbal products are generally considered safedue to their age-old usage, significant side effects have been reported for many herbal products, includingherbal medicine. Accidental contamination and intentional adulteration are considered as primary reasons forthe side effects. The historical perspective and the philosophy of herbal medical practice along with its presentstatus in the light of present day science have been reviewed and included in the present article. Assuranceof safety by identification of contaminants and assessment of toxicity has been outlined. Assessment ofclaimed efficacy of herbal medicine is difficult due to its holistic approach. Practical ways of assessingefficacy of herbal medicine by adapting the methodologies used for modern pharmaceutical are described.The maintenance of standard of herbal medicine has been stressed and pragmatic approaches of assuringquality of herbal medicine by using modern tools of fingerprinting the chemical profile of herbal medicineare discussed. As much of the traditional herbal medical knowledge is scattered around the world at the familyand community levels, and more so in the indigenous people, the knowledge base is continuously being lostand so needs immediate documentation. Difficulties in documentation due to concerns of Intellectual PropertyRights (IPR) have been highlighted.