Title : Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Field Collection Practices (GFCP) of medicinal and aromatic plants
Abstract:
Each medicinal plant under cultivation must be identified and recorded by scientific name.In addition to keeping documentation on the botanical identity of all medicinal & aromatic plants under cultivation, growers and producers shall prepare Botanical voucher specimens Seeds and other propagation materials should be verified botanically.Their origin & breeding history should be described. The very first step, therefore, is the cultivation of medicinal plants under controlled conditions. The prerequisite for this is the collection of authentic specimens of such plants as are used in the herbal system of medicine, and subsequent investigation of methods for large-scale cultivation. Cultivation of Medicinal Plants requires intensive care and management. It may affect the ecological balance of the flora and fauna of the environment & vice versa. Any chemical used in the growth & protection of medicinal plants should be kept to a minimum. Medicinal plants should be harvested during the proper season or time period to ensure the production of the best possible quality of source plant materials and subsequent finished products. Prior to field collection, the population density & geographic distribution of the target medicinal plant species must be identified.A topographical map of the collecting site should be prepared.The field collection team and their responsibilities should be clearly identified.Permission & Collection Permit: must be obtained prior.Selection of Medicinal Plants for Collection: Collected medicinal plants should be the same as those specified in the national pharmacopeia. Ecologically non-destructive means of collection should be employed.
