Bhushan Patwardhan, Sarika Chaturvedi, Roy Upton, J. Hunter, L. Susan Wieland, Nessma El-Nabawy, Anchalee Chuthaputti, Chunyu Wei, Kofi Donkor, Kim Sungchol, Evelyn Wolfram, Geetha Krishnan Gopalakrishna Pillai, Shyama Kuruvilla
Establishing a robust global framework for assessing the safety of plants used for medicinal purposes (medicinal plants) is complex. Unlike synthetic drugs, plant-based products often lack standardized codification, quantification or context-specific usage data. Medicinal plant products are classified differently worldwide: in some countries (such as in the United States of America), they are treated as foods or dietary supplements unless manufacturers make therapeutic claims; in other jurisdictions, geographic areas and countries (such as in the European Union, the Asian continent, Australia or Canada), they are regulated as low-risk medicines. Different jurisdictions vary widely in cultural acceptance or bias towards medicinal plant use. This fragmented landscape results in inconsistent safety standards, reporting protocols and access to markets for practitioners, patients and consumers.