Tuesday 13 May 2014

Purchasing raw herbs

The way we purchase raw herbs is of crucial importance to achieving consistency of finished products.  As everyone knows, it is not possible to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.  High quality herbal medicines can only be made from high quality raw materials.

The Herbs in Bottle purchasing procedure has been built up from many years' experience buying raw herbs worldwide - and this experience has now been defined, codified and audited as part of GMP.

The emphasis is upon safeguarding the materials that are supplied to production, so that we (and you) can be sure that they come from reliable known sources.

We do not grow any of our own herbs.  We have taken that decision to ensure that our production process can be independent of any commercial pressures to process what is grown, even when harvests are deficient in quality.  We would prefer to go out of stock for a while rather than put through raw materials that are inconsistent in quality.

All growers and wholesalers on our approved suppliers list are assessed prior to first purchase, and then assessed at defined intervals thereafter.  The suppliers are required to quality assess all deliveries according to criteria we supply them.  This includes provision of relevant certificates of analysis and test results that comply with agreed specifications.

All suppliers must maintain and provide on request records that include full batch traceability. 

Our Quality department monitors whole of the purchasing process.  This includes maintaining the approved supplier list; obtaining correct information; supervising packaging specifications; controlling codes for raw materials and packaging; investigating complaints.

Herbs in a Bottle will monitor all supplies of raw materials, testing every batch supplied and auditing (and re-auditing) the supplier's at their site. 

It goes without saying that we will refuse suppliers that show any evidence of non-compliance (lazy performance, sloppy standards, inadequate or misleading paperwork etc).

It gives you peace of mind that when you purchase from Herbs in a Bottle you are getting high-quality medicines that are fit for purpose.

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