Traditional Medicine in Asia

Legislation and regulation of traditional systems of medicine – systems, practitioners and herbal products
reported f the presence of several scheduled
poisons and controlled substances,
including betamethasone, dexamethasone,
chlorpheniramine, mefanamic acid,
phenylbutazone, and dexachlorpheniramine,
in both domestically produced
and imported herbal medicinal products.
This resulted in the confiscation of stocks
and the banning of these products from
domestic markets.
Approaches to the export of
medicinal plants
A few countries require all exports to be
regulated. In Spain, for instance, the export
of medicinal plants is subject to the
issuance of a certificate of guarantee by
the competent pharmaceutical inspectorate.
Other countries which cultivate
medicinal plants have sought to promote
exports by specifying the competent
regulatory authority in the legal text. In Mali,
for instance, one of the statutory responsibilities
of the Office of Pharmacy is to
promote the export of products of its own
research and manufacture, particularly
drugs based on medicinal plants. Similarly,
the National Pharmaceutical Office of
Benin is required to promote the export of
medicinal products.
In some countries, however, specific
restrictions are applied to the export of
protected plants. In Mali, prior authorization
of the Director-General is required
for any activity involving the collection of
medicinal plants for export. In 1976, a
WHO expert group on traditional
medicines9 called upon countries to
regulate the export of medicinal plants for
commercial purposes – a call that remained
largely unnoticed until the elaboration of
the United Nations Convention on
Biological Diversity.
The dispensing and sale of medicinal
products and medicinal plants are
governed not only by the laws dealing
specifically with drug regulation but also
by those dealing with the health-related
professions. Statutory provisions relating to
medicinal plants, where they exist, are
based on a range of different approaches
and modalities. In France, for instance,
certain essential oils derived from plants
may be sold or supplied to the public only
by pharmacists. In the Republic of Korea,
herbal practitioners – a category of health
professionals who need to pass an
examination to be granted this status –
may sell herbs by preparing them in
accordance with the specifications in
oriental medical books or prescriptions of
oriental medical doctors.
In the United Kingdom, herbal
remedies are sold on a retail basis by
shopkeepers (e.g., ‘health foods’ shops,
supermarkets, grocers); herbalists (i.e.,
persons who make and sell herbal
remedies to persons who consult them);
and pharmacists. In Bulgaria, only persons
in possession of medical qualifications may
receive authorization by the Ministry of
Health to prescribe medicinal plants. In
Brazil, medicinal plants may be dispensed
only within pharmacies and herbalists’
shops. Lesotho has a system – administered
by the Universal Medicinemen and
Herbalists Council – of licensing medicinemen
and herbalists. In Morocco, there is a
statutory prohibition on the simultaneous
practice of the profession of physician,
dental surgeon and midwife, on the one
hand, and that of a herbalist, on the other,
even if the latter is otherwise qualified to
practise any of the other professions. Those
licensed as a herbalist may sell any
medicinal plant and parts of any such
f Annon. Contaminated herbal medicines in Malaysia. SCRIP, No. 1892, 28 January 1994, p. 19.
201