The production of safe botanical food supplements of high
quality begins with plants of the correct species. Plants intended
for use in food supplements should be cultivated and harvested
using good agricultural practices, and field-collected material
should be acquired using good collection practices. The WHO
Programme on Traditional Medicines has published guidelines
for good agriculture and collection practice in the acquisition of
quality botanicals.16 If wild plant specimens are collected or if the
plant material or extracts are purchased from suppliers without
assurance of good agricultural practice, they should be assayed
more carefully.