Herbal Teas

Herbal Teas comply with the requirements of the European Pharmacopoeia. These requirements are reproduced below.

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DEFINITION

Herbal teas consist exclusively of one or more herbal drugs intended for oral aqueous preparations by means of decoction, infusion or maceration. The preparation is prepared immediately before use.

Herbal teas are usually supplied in bulk form or in bags for single use.

The herbal drugs used comply with the appropriate individual European Pharmacopoeia monographs or in their absence with the general monograph Herbal drugs (1433).

IDENTIFICATION

The identity of herbal drugs present in herbal teas is checked by suitable methods such as botanical examinations and/or chromatographic profiles.

TESTS

Recommendations on the microbiological quality of herbal teas (5.1.8) take into account the prescribed preparation method (use of boiling or non-boiling water).

The proportion of herbal drugs present in herbal teas is checked by appropriate methods.

Herbal teas in bags comply with the following test:

Uniformity of mass

Determine the individual and the average mass of the contents of 20 randomly chosen units as follows: weigh a single full bag of herbal tea, open it without losing any fragments. Empty it completely using a brush. Weigh the empty bag and calculate the mass of the contents by subtraction. Repeat the operation on the 19 remaining bags and calculate the average mass of the contents of the 20 units. Unless otherwise justified, not more than 2 of the 20 individual masses deviate from the average mass by more than the percentage deviation shown in the table below and none deviates by more than twice that percentage.

STORAGE

Protected from light.

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