Product Information: Product Guidelines

We follow the American Herbal Products Association Guidelines (excerpt below)

It is natural for herbal raw materials to contain some foreign matter which may consist of any or all of the following:

• Plant parts of the herbal raw material other than those named in its specification and description
• Any organism, part or product of an organism, other than those named in the specification and description of the herbal raw material, for example grass clippings in mint leaves;
• Mineral admixtures present in the herbal raw material, for example soil, stones, metal, sand and dust.

Official pharmacopeias worldwide recognize quantitative limits of foreign matter as part of monograph specifications for herbal raw materials. Limits of foreign matter for the same herbal material may differ in various pharmacopeias. Although not specific to foreign matter as defined here, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) establishes maximum levels of natural or unavoidable defects in foods that present no health hazards for humans. Based on review of various pharmacopeial standards, the tolerance range for foreign matter can be up to 10% (by weight) of plant parts of the herbal material other than those named in its specification. A range of 2% to 5% (by weight) of other plant parts of the same herbal material accommodates most pharmacopeial standards. In the case of other foreign matter not consisting of plant parts of the same herbal material, a limit of not more than 2% is commonly listed in pharmacopeial standards.