Pembukaan

Herbal medicines is the oldest form of healthcare known to manknd according to the world
health organisation 80% of the worlds population still use her medicines in some aspect of
primary healthcare even in modern modern medicine many drugs are derived from extracts and
compunds discovered in the plant world

The last two decades have seen reneed global interest in natural medicines and a hufge increase
in demand for herbalife products due to lack of regulation of the horrible industry however there
has also been increased concern about the quality safety ad sustainability of raw material being
used in herbalife products in the market in 2003

The world health organisation developed a set of guidelines called good agricultural and
collection pracrices for medicinal plants. The aim of gacp is to procide guidance to herb grows
and collectors on how to improve quality safety and sustainability of raw materials being used in
the herbal medicine industry a rowing number of herb companies are now requesting their
supplies to provide herb’s that have been produced following gacp quidelines

In some countries its now mandatory to follow gacp to obtain a license to be able to sell herbalife
products in the market.

This film provides an overview of the key points of gacp for herb growers and collectors with
some examples of how these huidelines can be put into practice in simple and affordable ways

Hygiene and cleanliness

This processing facility in Bangalore shows the level of the hygiene required for selling hers and
spices in the international market here fresh chives are being washed in 16 different types of
purified water before being chopped and freeze-dried the reason for leaning and washing these
herb so thoroughly is to remov any traces of microbial contamination bacteria and fungi are too
small to be seen with the naked eye but exist in large quantities on dirty surfaces if herb come
into contact with these surfaces day two are likely to become contaminated in most countries
herbs have to be tested before they can be sold in the market if they are found to be contaminated
with more than the permitted levels of baceteria or fungi the berbs will be rejected and cannot be
sold
The most effective way to prevent microbial contamination is to ensure a high level of hygiene
and cleanliness throughout each stage of all the herbs production

all surface that the herbs will come into contact with must be cleaned before use especially
hands which should be thoroughly washed before touching any herbs

correct identification

whether cultivated or harvested from the wild it is essential that plant species are accurately
identified there is often confusion over the identity of medicinal herbs either because different
species look similar because in different places they share the same names

if uu are in doubt about the identification of a species consult a local expert preferably the
government recognized institute or herbarium alternatively. Ask your buyer to prepare a pressed
sample verified by a qualified tax on amidst where possible plant monograph should also be
prepared and distributed to farmers and collectors the monograph should include photograps and
descriptions of the species as well as instruction on cultivation harvesting and post harvest
processing

good agricultural practices

the first of herb cultivation is that medicinal plants should be grown in a location that meets the
specific needs of the species for example ckie must be cultivated in a cool climate similar to its
natural habitat high in the Himalayas brahmi requires a warm climate and plenty of water for
irrigation and ashwaganda is best grown in arid conditions in an alkaline soil with low fertility
the cultivation site should be in a clean location away from potential sources of contamination
sucah as busy roads or chemical spray from neigbhbouring fields the land should be prepared
according to the requirements of the crop most herb s if the soil is nourished with plenty of
composite if the composite made from farmyard manure it should be well rested before use and
care should be taken to avoid any potential source of contamination such as compost made from
city waste ater loving species such as brahmi can be grown in fields prepared in the same way as
for growing rice other species such as cookie prefer well aerated raised beds from hich ezxess
rainwater can easily drain during the monsoon if the crop is propagated by seed ensure that thes
seeds have been recently harvested are in good condition and free of pests and diseases whenever
seeds are collected a record should be kept of the date and place of collection

if there is any doubt about the identity f the species and experts should be consulted to verify the
name and variety depending on the established norms of the species the seeds may either be
sown in nursery beds and later transplanted or ther may be scattererd or swen in lines directly in
the main field either way they should be sown and where necessary thin in such a way that the
seedlings grow with an appropriate spacing between the plants and the rose according to the
requirements of the species a record should be kept with the date of sewing and details of where
the seeds came from so that the crop can later be traced back to its origin. Cutting shiiuld also be
taken according to the standard practices for the species there are many different vegetative
propagation techniques Gucci for example is propagated through stem cuttings cookie is x taking
cuttings from its rhizome aloe vera is propagated by separating suckers from the mother plant
other species such as this tuberose can be propagated through bulb division. If you are uncure
which method to use for the species ou are cultivating, seek guidance from a local expert
hichever method you use the cutting should only be taken from healthy plants they shiuld be
taken at the right tme and be of the correct size cutting should then be planted with an
appropriate distance between the plants and the rose if seedlings need to be transplanted from a
nursery into the field there are a number of principles to follow the seedling should be of a
suitable size which for most species is approximately four to six inches in height that should be
enough moisture in the soil in which the seedlings will be planted and the transplanting whould
be done in the correct season and in suitable eather conditions planting

in the afternoon or on a cloudy day is normally the best practice as it ill prevent stress caused by
the heat of the mid day sun a record should be kept of data location of planting with reference to
the origin of the planting material each herb species should be irrigated according to its specific
moisture requirements the method you use wwilll depend on ho much water you have available
and how much you are able fr willing to invest some species can be irrigated using tradisonal
flood irrigation methods others will have better results from using sprinklers or there is a
shortage of wwater it may be worth investing in a drip irrigation system wwhiceever methods is
used the water should be from a clean source free of any potential source of contamintation such
as chemical runoff from fields further upster==ream if you are in doubt about the quality of the
water take a sample and send it to a lab to be tested really should be controlled in accordance
with the needs of the cirop the crop will normally grow better if its not computing with weeds for
so nutrients and like but care should also be taken not to continuously exposed the soil to direct
sunlight as this ill cause loss of moistre and nutrients as a general rule of thumb the first reading
should be done 20 days after germination if the plants are gworn in rows then holding can be a
quick and effective method of removing eeds the we should alays be removen=d before they
produce seeds so that they do not multiply out of control the following year mulching is an
effective way of controlling wweeds as well as maintaining moisture in the soil using a
biodegradable mulch also benefits the soil by adding nutrients and organic matter is it rots in
addition to reading some species also require topping or nipping to encourage growth in this
example the flower of spade musli are being removed to increase the yield and quality of its
roots the best way to control pests and diseases is to take measures to prevent them from
occurring in the dirst place either by selecting indigenous herb species that have greater
resistance to the pests and diseases of the area or by using organic methods such as intercropping
light traps or trap crops if problems do occur they should be tackled quickly to prevent the
prolem from growing out of control if pests appear in the first step is to remove them by hand if
this is not possible then you may try using an organic biopesticide such as neem oil spray or by
preparing your own preaparation using locally acailabe resources organic as advised by farming
experts only in an emergency should you consider spraying a chemical pesticeide and that would
only be acceptable if there is absolutely no trace of the chemical at the time of harvest if are
certified organic then agro chemicals should not be used under any circumstances

medicinal herbs should be harvested wheter active ingredients are at their highest cookie for
example is ready for after two to years of growth and should be harvested when the leaves start
to turn yellow before the onset of winter avoid harvesting herbs on a rainy day ir early in the
morning when there is due on the ground the quality of the herbs will be much better when
harvested in dry conditions harvesting tool should be well cleaned before use and the harvested
material should be placed in clean containers when harvesting herbs such as brahmi care should
be taken to avoid harvesting wedds this may sometimes be difficult to avoid in which case
someone should be inspecting the harvested material and manually removing the weeds details
of the harvest including any observations regarding the quality of the herbs should be recorded in
the farmers diary when green leafy plants are being harvested in direct sunlight in a hot climate
such as this field meant in uttar Pradesh they should immediately be taken to a shady place to
prevent the plants from wilting and then transported as quickly as possible to the processing unit
the more quickly the plants can be processed the better ther final quality of the herbal medicine
will be

good collection practices

the large majority of traded medicinal herbs species are still collected from the witld with many
people dependent on herb collection for their livelihoods the growing global demand for
herbalife product presenst a valuable opportunity to generate additional income in rural areas yet
it can also present a serious challenge as growing numbers of medicinal plant species of
becoming threatened due to over exploitation if rural communities that benefit from the
opportunities in the herbal industry then its vital efforts are made to collect herbs in a manner
that does not damage thae plants ability to regenerate every year inly in this wway if the plants
are collected sustainably wwith these livelihood opportunities continue to exist for futter
generations collection of any wild plant species should always be carried out in adherence with
local national and international regulations and should respect the traditional belief and customs
of the area if a colletion permit is required it should be obtained prior to harvesting any plants
from the wild if you are unsure of the regulations or which lcal species may be rare or
endangered seek guidance from the concerned authorities before setting out for collection a
certain amount of planning is required the herbs will need to be harvested using appropriate tols
we should be stored in a clean location and where necessary sharpened before use the herbs will
need to be packed into clean sacks if they are being reused there should be no traces of the
material that was in the sack before sacks that have previously been used to store agro chemical
should never be used to store herbs details of the harvest will need to be documented this can be
done in a diary or by attaching labels all of which need to be prepared and packed before setting
off collection medicinal plants should be collected at the correct time of year to ensure maximum
levels of medicinal properties according to the intended use of the plant and to maximize the
plants ability to regenerate after harvest this ill vary from speies to species bill the fruits for
example should be harvested before thery have fuly ripened Himalayan aconite should be
collected only after the seeds of ripened and most bark species such as arjuna should be
harvested during the winter months in many cases the knowledge of correct harvest times will
have been passed down from generation to generation if you are uncertain about the correct
collection time seek guidance from a lcal expert the plant should always be collected in areas that
far from any potential source of contamination such as road paths and villages in collection site
also be chosen according to the availability of the target species making sure that the plant
population is large enough for the collection to be sustainable and that any commercial collection
does not have a negative impact on the availability of the plants for local use in india it is a
traditional practice for veges or ayurvedic physicians to express reverence and gratitude towards
the medicinal plants before collection this is a practice dderived from the hindu tradition yet the
principle of collecting herbs with an attitude of the respect is key in managing herbs biodiversity
in a responsible manner an applies to all collectors regardless of culture or religion

the collectors here are harvesting wwild Himalayan Oregon oh the methods used for sustainable
collection of Oregon oh depend on whether the plant has produced seed yet or not the plant is
still in floer or the seeds are not yet mature than only seventy percent of the plants should be
collected the remaining thirty percent which ideally should be the most healthy of the plants
should be left to go to seed if the plants have started to produce seeds then all the plants can be
collected and the seeds scattered randomly in the surrounding area in this way the plants will
regenerate every year and provide a continuos supply of Oregon oh and a regular sourve of
income to the collectors these collectors have vcome to harvest Himalayan iris roots medicinal
plant species that are harvested for therir underground parts are normally the most vulnerable as
when the entire root system is dug out in the ground

the plants is left with little chance of regeneration a sustainable method for collecting irish roots
is demonstrated here the main portion of the rhizome is harvested and placed in a clean sack then
leaving a few inches at the bottom or the leaves are cut off and the remaining rootstock in this
way providing there is sufficient moisture in the soil the plants will regenerate and the rizome
wwill grow back to their original size ithin a year or 2 details of the harvest should be recorded
for future reference the collectors here have a printed label which they fill in an attached to the
sack so that the plant material can be traced back to its source when it reaches its final
destination

for some species or in places where there is less soil moisture instead of uproting the entire plant
the underground parts can be harvested by removing the roots from one side only in this way half
the root system is left undisturbed making it easier for the plant to regenerate these collectors
have to come to harvest the bark of a tree called kuchar sacks are laid around the base of the tree
to catch the harvested bark as it falls a thin strip of bark is removed from one side taking care to
minimize harm to the tree it extremely important that you never cut a strip all the way around the
trunk this will cause the tree to die it will take approximately 3 years for the bark to grow back
and until the previous harvest is completely regenerated this tee should not be harvested again
the harvested bark pieces are collected from the base of the tree and place in a clean container
then inspected and any substandard material removed finally the bark is packed labelled and
transported as quickly as possible its next destination for processing

primary processing

most helps requires and post harvest processing to preserve their medicinal properties in a stable
form this may include wwashing and sorting the stoning ctting slicing essential oil distillation or
drying the following guidelines explore some of the key e=underlying principles of primary
processing maintaining hygiene and cleanliness s perhaps the most important principle while
processing herbs the processing site should be clean and protected from dust and other potential
source of contamination the working area should be protected from rain and if u are working
with green leafy plants its should also be protected from direct sunlight most hopes will require
some primary sorting to remove unwanted parts or any foreign matter that may have been
harvested with the herb cookie is harvested for its rhizome which means that its leaves and green
stem must be carefully removed brahmi is harvested for his aerial parts wwhich means that any
roots or weeds that may have been accidentally harvested should be removed before being
wwwah=shed most herbs wwith the exception of certain plant parts such as delicate flower and
seeds should be washed in clean wwater to remove mud and other contaminants before being
dried an effective washing method is to use tubs in a row the first up to clean the dirtiest material
the second hub for further wah=shing and the third tub for rinsing . if you require more
permanent washing structure you may consider building some purpose built tanks such as these
wwhich are used for ashing the brahmi again the first tank is used to wash mud off the plant the
secont tank is used for a final rinse in clean water before being placed in a dryer the water should
be drainded off this can be done by placing the herbs on a dripping rack as in the example here.
Alternatively the water can be removed using the principles of centrifuge demonstrated here at a
low cost using clean onion sacks with some investmendt using a perforated drum the same
principles can be apllied bvery effectively on a larger scale having removed excess water the
cookies laid oout on the racks for the water to evaporater in the sun before being put in the dryer.
This is also a good opportunity to inspect the hubs and ensure that teher is no foreign matter or
substandard material in this way the material is placed in h=the dryer will be of a high quality
and only minimal soring will be required after drying here in uttar Pradesh a stretcher has been
made out of onion sacks to keep washed meant off the ground

this allows the wwater to drain and the plants can be inspected before being taken into the dryer
in this case the length of the stretcher has been measured to fit bête=ween the drying racks again
to keep the pkants off the ground and to make it easier to lay the plants out on the racks all
activities should be recorded in a diary with details of the date a crop number or batch number
and the processing that was done drying is key In determining the quality of most raw materials
used in her bowl medicine and is often the stage of production that involves the highest risks thre
are many ways of drawing herbs but the main principles are the same whichever method you use
we are all familiar with the principles of drying et clothes after bringing out the water they hung
up and spread out to dry in the sun and the ind the principles of her drying a vawy similar the
herb should be raised off the ground . spread ot and exposed to heat and air flow green leafy
herbs and aromatic plant parts should always be dried in the shade to retain their color and to
prevent evaporation of volatile oils the most common method used for drying herbs is to lay
them out or netting or racks this can be done at a relatively low cost as demonstrated ith this
shade ryan erisa designed around the dimensions of the sr=tandard mosquito net used to protect
the herbs from dustin insect another method of drying is to use a solar dryer the glass panels and
black sheets quickly heats the air inside the dryer whis is sucked out of one end by an extractor
fan ceating a cross flow of hot air and removing moisture that evaporates from the herbs a simple
solar dry design is demonstrated her for drying cookie roots in a marshal Pradesh the sun heats
the air insde the dryer causing it to rise and exit out of the top event sucking air in trough the
lower air ven creating a cross flow of hot air on a larger scale the herb can be dried on racks in a
polytunnel if this method s used it is vital that moisture and humidity in the tunnel is kept to a
minimum and that across flow of hot air is created either through natural convection currents or
by using fans when herb laid out to dry they should be spread out thinly and evenly to maximize
contact with air flow and ensure uniform drying each time herbs laid out in a dryer a label should
be prepared with details of the origin of the plant material and the date the dreing was started and
attached to the dryer alongside the corresponding batch of herbs.

In some areas or in certain seasons if there is high rainfall or high humidiy it may not be possible
to dry herb effectively in a solar dryer in which case a heated dry may be used such as this
cabinet dryer that is heated by brning biomass generally speaking the best drying results are
obtained a temperature of between 45 -50 degrees Celsius or up to max 60 .

If there is a high humidity aromatic herb species should be dried a cooler temperature 30 35
degrees. Herb should only be dried on the ground if there are no alternatives if this is the case
then they should be dried on a clean tarpaulin and measures taken to minimize contamination or
damage from dust insect animal do or rainfall herb sshould be left in the dryer until they are dry
enough to crumble or snap before removing from the racks the plant should again be inspected
and any weeds or other unwanted matter removed the dried material can the be packed into clean
sacks and details of the drying dates updated in the label and farmers diary the label should then
be attached to the saxo that there is never any doubt about its contents and origin once the herbss
have been dried impact they should be weighed and quantity recorded in the farmers diary and
on the labels around the sax the sacks are now ready to be put in storae or transported to the next
destination

Storage and transportation

The way in c=which her stored is of critical importance in determining the quality of the final
product excellent quality herbs can be destroyed by poor storage conditions the most m=common
problems being damage caused by pest and rodent or fungus and mold caused by damp the
storage room should be dry and well ventilated and all surfaces that the packards wwill come
into contact with whould be well cleaned before use the sack should be neatly stacked raised off
stacked off the ground and kept away from the wall each sack shall be clearly labelled with
details of the origin of plant material the room should provide protection against animal and
insect if there is a problem avoid using poison different herb speces should be kept separate and
stored away from any crop tools agricultural inputs or anything else that could cause
contamination when the time comes for transporting the herbs the same principles apply the
vehicle should be thoroughly cleaned before use and the herb should be kept separate from any
potential source of contamination care must be taken ti keep the herbs dry an cool during the
journey to their next destination.

Conclusion

Before being manufactured into herb since the dried herb normally taken to a processing facility
for further cleaning soring and grading if required to hebrb to pass through a metal detector to
ensure that no traces of metal have found their way into any of the sax most dried herb and then
put shrouh a pulverizer then sieve to ensure uniform size of powwwder this powder can be used
too prepare herbs medicine such as challenge brush or it can be used to make herb tablet or
capsules the final products are packed companies and then distributed to shop and practutuiners
around the world by following gacp guidelines to produce raw material for the herbal industty
herbal medicines are guaranteed to be of a high quality effective safe to use and environmentally
sound medicines produced in this way will provide long lasting benefit to both producer and user
of the herb as ell as the field and forest in which they are collected and grown.