The International Conference “Promotion and Development of Botanicals With International Coordination: Exploring Quality, Safety, Efficacy, and Regulations” was organized by the School of Natural Product Studies, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India. This article presents the background, objectives, and highlights of the presentations of different plenary, oral, and poster sessions. The conference was supported by the Drug Information Association of the United States. Different organizations of the government of India such as the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB); Department of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (AYUSH); Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR); Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR); and Defence Research Development Organization (DRDO) also supported this international event. The key topics were as follows: Developing Botanicals Through International Coordination; Exploring Traditional Medicine for Development of Herbal Drugs; Regulatory Perspective for Development of Herbals; Health Care Resources-Impact of Natural (Traditional) Medicines; Ethnobotany and Ethnopharmacology in Natural Product Development: Global Perspectives; Pharmacovigilance of Natural Health Products-Evaluating Safety and Toxicity; and Industrial Perspectives and Development of Phytomedicines. Conference attendees included a variety of stakeholders: manufacturers of raw materials, phytomedicines, pharmaceuticals, and dietary and food supplements; representatives of conventional and traditional health care systems; sellers and distributors; regulatory authorities; standard-setting organizations; contract laboratories and research organizations, nongovernmental organizations, academicians, scientists, and health care practitioners. The conference also provided educational opportunities for pharmacists, pharmacognosists, physicians, phytochemists, botanists, ethnobotanists, ethnopharmacologists, pharmacologists, toxicologists, and others involved in the research, evaluation, development, and marketing of botanicals and natural products for use in health care. More than 350 delegates from different countries, including scientists/researchers from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Brazil, The Netherlands, France, South Africa, Iran, Thailand, Fiji, and India, participated in the conference from different fields of herbal research. As Director of the School of Natural Products Studies, I was the organizing secretary of this international event.

BACKGROUND FOR ORGANIZING THE CONFERENCE

This conference was suggested through the Natural Health Products Special Interest Area Community (NHP-SIAC) of Drug Information Association (DIA). As a long-standing member of the DIA and frequent speaker and participant at DIA’s annual US convention, I volunteered to chair a meeting sponsored by DIA on natural health products (NHPs) in India. Jadavpur University is one of the best universities in India, and the School of Natural Product Studies (SNPS) is one of the pioneering organizations in the field of NHP development and took special interest to organize this international event in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB), the premier research institute in eastern India under the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Government of India.

Botanicals or phytomedicines have always been a major component of the traditional systems of healing in India. Besides widespread use of botanicals as medicinal products in developing countries, such products are becoming part of the integrative health care systems of industrialized nations; they are now known as complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs). Botanicals are unique products with special concerns regarding sourcing, lot-to-lot consistency, safety, and efficacy. The testing conducted on single chemical entities may also not be appropriate for botanicals because of their heterogeneous nature. However, botanicals may offer novel therapeutic potential not achievable with mainstream therapeutic interventions alone. Currently, there is an urgent need for international collaboration in the development and promotion of operational methodologies that should include variety of standard operating procedures addressing the nomenclature, quality, safety, and efficacy of these products when used as phytomedicines. In addition, there is a need for coordination and harmonization of regulations related to research and development of natural products as both pharmaceuticals and food supplements.

Safety and efficacy of the Natural Health Products (NHP) is always a cause of concern to promote and rationalize their use. Quality control of botanicals, validated processes of manufacturing, customer awareness and post marketing surveillance are the key points which could ensure the safety and efficacy of NHP. Currently there is an urgent need for international collaboration in the development and promotion of operational methodologies that should include variety of standard operating procedures addressing the quality, safety, and efficacy of these products, when used as phytomedicines.