The World Health Organization (WHO) has taken another significant step toward strengthening the quality, safety, and regulation of herbal medicines by advancing the development of an International Herbal Pharmacopoeia (IHP). During the 5th WHO Expert Meeting held in Hong Kong SAR (China) from 16–18 June 2026, experts from all six WHO regions met to accelerate the creation of globally harmonized standards for herbal medicines.
The initiative is a key priority under the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034, which aims to support Member States in improving regulatory oversight, quality assurance, and international harmonization of herbal medicines. The proposed International Herbal Pharmacopoeia will provide standardized monographs and quality specifications that countries can adopt or adapt within their national regulatory frameworks.
According to WHO, more than 50,000 medicinal plant species are used worldwide, and traditional medicine remains an essential component of healthcare for billions of people, particularly in low and middle income countries. However, differences in quality standards and regulatory requirements across countries have posed challenges for ensuring the safety, efficacy, and consistent quality of herbal medicines traded internationally.
The meeting highlighted international collaboration in developing herbal medicine monographs, with technical support provided by the Chinese Medicine Regulatory Office of Hong Kong SAR, a WHO Collaborating Centre for Traditional Medicine, and the Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy (PCIM&H), Government of India. These organizations are contributing scientific expertise and drafting standardized monographs for selected medicinal plants.
The International Herbal Pharmacopoeia is expected to serve as a globally recognized scientific reference for herbal medicines by establishing standards for their identity, purity, quality, and analytical testing. WHO believes that harmonized standards will facilitate regulatory convergence, improve product quality, enhance patient safety, and promote greater confidence in traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine worldwide.
Experts participating in the meeting also discussed technical aspects of monograph development, quality control methods, nomenclature, and future priorities for expanding the pharmacopoeia. The initiative builds upon earlier expert meetings launched in 2024 and represents an important milestone toward creating an internationally accepted reference for herbal medicines.
Once completed, the International Herbal Pharmacopoeia is expected to support governments, regulatory agencies, researchers, manufacturers, and healthcare professionals by providing harmonized scientific standards that facilitate the safe integration of herbal medicines into healthcare systems while promoting international trade and public health.
