TRADE AND QUALITY CONTROL OF MEDICINAL PLANTS IN BRAZIL

The use of medicinal plants is influenced by the cultural legacy of popular knowledge of plants with therapeutic purposes, resulting from the ethnic mix of the population, with a strong Indian, European, African, and Asian influence. Other factors, such as difficulties in access the regular health services associated with poor socioeconomic conditions, and easy access to medicinal plants, and/or herbal products have contributed to consolidate herbal medicine as a widely resource used by the population. However, these products, derived from plants do not always possess the sufficient safeguards for their use and have not been proved for their therapeutic safety or quality. Thus, it emphasizes the need for studies on the marketing of medicinal plants, and to evaluate the quality of these products in order to conduct pharmacovigilance, ensure safe and effective use, especially by contributing to the full development of Phytotherapy