The governance of traditional medicine and herbal remedies in the selected local markets of Western Kenya

Table 1 Problems and issues associated with the use of herbal medicines. Drawn from [7, 30]

Problem/challenge	Issues to be sorted out
1. Quality and purity	Adulteration, plants misidentification, drug preparations and formulations
2. Processing and harvesting	Poor harvesting practices and processing techniques, contamination
3. Quality control	Standardization, poor manufacturing practices
4. Administrative issues	Regulation and control, proper monitoring efforts
5. Infrastructure	Processing techniques, trained personnel, product approval, post-market surveillance
6. Pharmacovigilance	Adverse reactions, contraindications, drug interactions
7. Clinical trials	Safety and efficacy
8. IPR and biopiracy	Proper documentation of TK and folk knowledge
9. Research and development	Mode of action of drugs
10. Others	Unethical practices, quacks (incompetent TMPs), inadequate funds, poor marketing, knowledge sharing, biodiversity protection, conservation and protection of medicinal plants

ISSN: 1746-4269