How can herbal medicine be well developed under the current regulatory system?

Herbal medicine has been used in Eastern Asia for more than three thousand years. Accumulated evidence, from classic literature to the scientific research, demonstrates the efficacy and safety of herbal medicine. The public is recognising the usefulness and its scientific value at the Age of Knowledge Explosion. The contradiction is becoming more and more obvious, especially between the increasing needs of herbal medicine and the tough regulation policy from different jurisdictions. There is an urgent need to find a solution to solve such contradiction practically thus to let the public get benefit from the traditional wisdom. Some considerations are listed herewith and wish to be considered by regulatory agencies to go forward and help the public. Firstly, herbal medicine should be studied and the research can provide solid evidence to demonstrate the safety and efficacy for certain conditions/disease, from clinical, preclinical and basic research level. Evidence from rigorous process is a critical issue. Secondly, herbal medicine should start from the unmet medical needs to demonstrate their uniqueness, which includes but not limited to no cure conditions, conditions with treatment but with serious side effects, prevention and rehabilitation. Thirdly, new drug development is one of the key paths to let patients access the herbal medicine product. In order to facilitate the process, the agencies for drug approval in different regions need to work together to find a common path thus to speed up the evaluation process, although it is not easy to some extent. One world, one medicine.

 

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Publication History

Article published online:
16 November 2023