Safety and Efficacy

The garden has become instrumental in the support of research efforts within the NCNPR and the School of Pharmacy. Not only in the contributions of plant materials and resources but also in the developing training programs that have been instituted by NCNPR and the FDA, as a result of the continued growth of herbal dietary supplement products in the marketplace. The need to ensure the safety and efficacy of these products is imperative. The Botanicals research team at NCNPR, along with the FDA, have begun to hold training workshops that will provide the necessary knowledge and information for inspectors and quality control personnel to regulate these issues within the manufacturing sector.

The participants visit the Garden to obtain a better understanding of just how easily misidentified and adulterated plant materials can become substituted in the acquisitions process and then make their way through manufacturing and on to the consumer as contaminated or unsafe products. The global concerns about these issues has led to the continued growth of the annual International Conference on the Science of Botanicals (ICSB), hosted by NCNPR, held each year here in Oxford. Leading researchers from institutes all over the world come together to discuss ways to improve these important botanical quality and safety issues.