Herb Safety and Quality Control

People often have questions about the safety of herbs and supplements, and rightly so. Being an informed and assertive consumer is only growing more important as supply chains, international trade, globalization, and online marketing all make it harder to know what is in the health products we buy. So, are imported herbs ‘safe’? Why can’t we buy local?

Virtually all herbs used in Traditional Chinese Medicine herbology are grown in mainland China. Some are cultivated on farms, and others are wildcrafted from the natural environment. Many of the herbs require years of growth to mature, and special harvesting, processing, and preserving to enhance or activate their medicinal properties.

Chinese farmers, wildcrafters, pharmacists and herbal processors have specialized and unique knowledge that can’t be easily replicated elsewhere. Like growing grapes for wine, herbs and their properties are very specific to their growing location, affected by climate, soil composition, local microbes, and so on. Some individual herbs are being grown in other countries, including the United States, but only a limited number for now. It will take decades of concerted effort, cultivation, and training to have enough US-grown herbs to stock even a rudimentary Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine pharmacy.

There are safety concerns about herbs, as there are for food items and household goods. For herbs, concerns are contamination with pesticides, heavy metals, mold, or bacteria, or adulteration with different plant species or with chemicals. These concerns are real and emphasize the importance of choosing suppliers with strong safety standards.

Reputable vendors of TCM herbal products ensure safety in a variety of ways, including testing for heavy metals, pesticides, mold, bacteria, and other contaminants, and verifying plant species. Products such as pills and capsules must be produced in certified GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) facilities, standards set by the FDA and WHO for safe manufacturing.

Many of our suppliers make their products in GMP factories in China or Taiwan. Others are manufactured in the United States with herbs imported from China.  Either way, our relationships with the companies and knowledge of their testing and safety practices enable us to feel confident that the herbal formulations we prescribe are authentic, effective, and natural.

If you’d like to learn more about Asian herbal cultivation in the United States, check out the wonderful Lilium Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering American cultivation of Asian medicinal herbs, created by farmers and acupuncturists. We carry their fragrant Ju Hua (chrysanthemum blossoms) from farms in California and Oregon, wonderful as tea and useful as a compress for itchy, irritated eyes.

With gratitude to all the farmers of the world,
Kirsten Cowan
Licensed Acupuncturist, Clinic Manager