Good Agricultural Practice for the Quality Assurance of Traditional Chinese Herbs Used in Dietary Supplements

Abstract

The quality control and standardization of traditional Chinese herbs (TCHs) commonly used in functional or therapeutic food products is a challenging task. The guidelines of Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) are designed to standardize respectively the different operations involved. Although GMP guidelines have been well established in the manufacturing processes, the operational specifics of GAP guidelines in the agricultural production of herbal plants are still in the developmental stage. This contribution reviews the current status of GAP development in China.