Regulatory aspects of medicinal plants in Chile

Abstract

Medicinal plants are an old therapeutic resource and have been used as a source of medicinal preparations since prehistoric man. In Chile before the arrival of the Spaniards, the Mapuche within their therapeutic elements used medicinal herbs and in the colonial era the Jesuit apothecary, manufactured a large number of preparations with medicinal plants. Currently, developed countries, such as those in development, show growth in the development of different products with ingredients of plant origin. The current health legislation in Chile considers that products made with ingredients of plant origin can be included in different categories (DS 3/2010 of medicines and DS 977/96 of food).