Chennai: The National Medicinal Plant Board (NMPB) under the Ministry of Ayush is likely to expedite the implementation of the Voluntary Certification Scheme for Medicinal Plants in order to maintain quality on raw drugs and other agricultural produces subjected for medicinal preparations
Through this, the medicinal plant board, can obtain a certificate from the approved Certification Body, which will be constituted by medicinal plant board in each state. The scheme would be implemented in collaboration with the Quality Council of India (QCI). Sources said Centre hopes to encourage good agricultural practices and good field collection practices in medicinal plant cultivation and thereby increase the quality and safety of the produces.
A decision to this effect was made at a meeting of stakeholders recently following apprehensions expressed by the Ayush medicine manufacturers that the medicinal plants raw material required certification.
The voluntary certification scheme will help to increase the credibility of both the Ayush medicinal products and the medicinal plant raised in the country. It will also raise the status of Indian medicines in the domestic as well as foreign markets.
There however was no representation from any Siddha drug manufacturers association from Tamil Nadu at the meeting. As per a medicinal plant survey carried out in remote villages of Madurai, Dindigul and Theni districts of Tamil Nadu many plant species were traditionally used by the villagers. Of them 59 plant species belonging to 53 genera from 28 families of medicinally important plants were identified.
