Traditional and Herbal Medicines, Regulation: Canada

Traditional and herbal medicines in Canada are regulated by the Natural and Nonprescription Health Products Directorate (NNHPD), formerly the Natural Health Products Directorate. The mandate of the NNHPD includes the oversight of natural health products, nonprescription drugs, and disinfectant drugs; the latter category includes chemical products meant to clean environmental surfaces and that claim antimicrobial activity. The key legislation governing natural health products is the 2004 Natural Health Products Regulations, which define natural health products (NHPs) as including vitamins and minerals, herbal remedies, homeopathic medicines, traditional medicines, probiotics, and other products such as amino acids and essential fatty acids. NHPs are further defined as over-the-counter (OTC) products that can be sold without presentation of a prescription.

The purpose of the Natural Health Products Regulations is to ...