Herbal Medicines Compendium – A New Initiative from USP for Global Herbal Standards

In its continuing effort to provide documentary standards and associated reference materials, the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) has recently released a new compendium of standards dedicated entirely to herbal medicines, the Herbal Medicines Compendium (HMC). HMC is a web-based, online-only publication that provides open access to public standards for herbal ingredients and is intended for worldwide stakeholders seeking rigorous quality assurance measures. The standard-setting process developed for this new compendium and the opportunities it offers for interactive and open participation by stakeholders will be presented.