Assessment of the Practice of Manufacturing Herbal Medicine from Traditional Medicinal Plants in Chiang Mai Province

Abstract

The study was undertaken in order to investigate the practice of manufacturing herbal medicine from 27 traditional medicinal plants in Chiang Mai Province, according to the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standard of the Food and Drug Administration. The procedure was to investigate the manufacturing environment and process, compile the problems encountered, and provide the entrepreneurs with recommendations on how to solve the problems in compliance with the standards. The results showed that, of the 27 entrepreneurs assessed, 22 of them failed to meet the GMP standards. Obstacles were found in all four categories: ranging from severe to less severe were category 3 (paper work), category 4 (manufacturing procedures), category 1 (management of human resources), and category 2 (building and location). The major causes were lack of information about manufacturing practices, business turnover and marketing. This study could encourage the entrepreneurs to improve the conditions of the manufacturing sites so that they meet the GMP standard.