PCIM&H, IPC Renew Pact for ‘One Herb, One Standard’ Initiative

The initiative is expected to support wider international acceptance of Indian medicinal products while strengthening the country's role in pharmaceutical and botanical standard-setting.

The Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) under the Ministry of Ayush and the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare have renewed their Memorandum of Understanding for the "One Herb, One Standard" initiative, extending their partnership for another three years. The agreement seeks to create uniform and scientifically reliable quality standards for medicinal plants used across Ayurveda, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, Unani and Homoeopathy.

The MoU was exchanged in New Delhi by PCIM&H Director I/c Dr. Kousthubha Upadhyaya and IPC Secretary-cum-Scientific Director Dr. V. Kalaiselvan in the presence of Union Minister Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav and Ministry of Ayush Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha.

Common Standards for Medicinal Plants

The "One Herb, One Standard" concept addresses a practical issue within traditional medicine, where the same medicinal plant may be used across different systems while being covered by separate quality specifications. Creating a common standard can reduce confusion for manufacturers, laboratories, regulators and other stakeholders while providing a clearer framework for checking the identity, purity and quality of plant-based drugs.

Jadhav said India's traditional systems of medicine form an important part of the country's knowledge traditions and medicinal plant heritage, making scientifically developed standards essential for improving the quality and credibility of medicines reaching consumers.

Indian Standards to Align With Global Requirements

Monographs developed through the renewed collaboration will consider existing Indian standards along with international quality requirements, helping medicinal plants and traditional medicine products made in India meet stronger benchmarks for global markets. Common specifications can also simplify processes for manufacturers, exporters, testing laboratories and regulatory institutions by making quality requirements more consistent and transparent.

The initiative is expected to support wider international acceptance of Indian medicinal products while strengthening the country's role in pharmaceutical and botanical standard-setting.

Partnership Builds on 50 Monographs Developed Since 2022

PCIM&H and IPC began their formal collaboration on the initiative through an MoU in 2022, with 50 medicinal plant monographs successfully developed during the first phase. The renewed three-year agreement will expand that work by bringing the scientific and standard-setting expertise of both institutions together for additional plant-origin drugs used across India's traditional medicine systems.

Focus on Quality, Trade and Medicinal Heritage

A harmonised standardisation system could strengthen quality assurance throughout the medicinal plant supply chain while reducing ambiguity for businesses working with traditional medicines. The collaboration also connects quality control with the protection of India's biodiversity and traditional medicinal knowledge, particularly as Indian herbal and traditional medicine products reach a wider international market.

The renewed partnership gives PCIM&H and IPC another three years to build a coordinated botanical standardisation framework and improve the reliability of Indian medicinal plants and traditional medicines.