What is ‘One Herb, One Standard initiative’?

• The government has renewed ‘One Herb, One Standard’ initiative for three years. 

• The Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) and the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) renewed their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the implementation of the initiative on August 12.

• It seeks to establish a common, clear, scientific and reliable standard for the same medicinal plant used across different systems of medicine. 

• The cooperation builds upon the MoU initiated in 2022 to promote and facilitate the ‘One Herb, One Standard’ concept.

• During the first phase, 50 monographs of medicinal plants were successfully developed. 

• The renewed MoU will continue the inter-ministerial cooperation for a further period of three years, with the objective of developing uniform, reliable and scientifically robust quality standards for single drugs of plant origin used across Ayurveda, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, Unani and Homoeopathy systems of medicine. 

• Under the renewed partnership, the monographs will take into account Indian standards as well as international quality requirements, strengthening Indian standards in line with global benchmarks and enhancing the quality and credibility of Indian medicinal plants and products in international markets.

• The initiative will strengthen quality assurance, support ease of doing business and contribute to safeguarding India’s rich biodiversity and traditional medicinal heritage, while enhancing India’s position in global pharmaceutical standardisation.

• It will expand the framework by harmonising standards for the same medicinal plant across different traditional systems of medicine, thereby reducing ambiguity among stakeholders and establishing a stronger and more coordinated standardisation mechanism. 

• The renewal of the MoU reaffirms the continued commitment of both institutions towards advancing scientific excellence, quality, reliability and global acceptance of India’s traditional systems of medicine through a harmonised approach to botanical standardisation.

• The partnership is expected to further strengthen India’s position as a trusted global standard-setter for medicinal plants, traditional medicines and their quality standards.