Whether they are controlled by therapeutic goods or food legislation, most natural medicine products are required to meet minimum standards relating to quality, safety and evidence to support health claims.

However, minimum standards allow for variation in important concerns such as:

· Sustainable and ethical sourcing of raw materials

· Quality and traceability of raw materials

· Consistency and reproducibility of researched natural medicine products

· Evidence required to support health benefit claims

Patients and health professionals globally are confronted with thousands of choices. It is difficult for them to find valid information to choose those natural medicine products that are of high quality, are ethically and sustainably produced and hold scientific support for their claimed health benefits.