India has presented its work on Ayurvedic and herbal medicine standards at the World Health Organization's fifth expert meeting on the development of an international herbal pharmacopoeia.
The meeting is being held in Hong Kong from 16 to 18 June 2026 and brings together specialists from WHO member states to discuss common standards for herbal medicines.
Dr Raman Mohan Singh, director of the Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy, is representing India as an expert member. A PCIM&H technical team is participating virtually in the discussions.
The team includes Dr Jayanthy A, Dr Vijay Gupta, Dr Anupam Maurya, Dr V. Vijayakumar and Dr Nikhil Jirankalgikar. Their disciplines span pharmacognosy, Ayurveda, chemistry and Siddha medicine, reflecting the different technical inputs required to evaluate herbal materials and formulations.
PCIM&H has developed herbal monographs and related documents in consultation with the WHO team. These materials are being presented for detailed review and consideration during the meeting rather than being treated as automatically adopted international standards.
A pharmacopoeial monograph normally sets out specifications used to assess the identity, purity and quality of a medicinal substance or preparation. International work in this area is important because herbal medicines can vary by plant source, processing method and testing practice.
The Indian presentation seeks to align work on traditional medicine standards with international benchmarks for quality, safety and purity. It also gives Indian specialists a role in the technical process through which globally usable herbal standards are examined.
The immediate outcome is expert review of the submitted material. Any wider effect will depend on how the WHO process evaluates the monographs, resolves technical differences and incorporates agreed specifications into the developing international herbal pharmacopoeia.
