Regulation of herbal medicine in Hungary

Abstract

In order to meet the growing needs of the European Union medicinal and aromatic plants, Hungary is still one of the major exporters today, although earlier, until the 1980s, we were considered a great herb-growing nation. Therefore, the development of the national medicinal and aromatic herb growing sector is an essential requirement for maintaining and developing our market position.The natural conditions of Hungary favor the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants. There are more than 330 herbs in our country. Of the cultivated herbs, chamomile, mint and lavender are of paramount importance.The largest areas are mustard, poppy, fennel and coriander, as well as St. John's wort and lemongrass. Many herbs are grown farming on large-scale methods, such as cumin, anise or mustard. Marjoram or marigold can be grown in smaller areas with greater manual labor. About seventy percent of the drugs grown and harvested are exported. The major buyers are Spain and Germany. However, significant changes are needed in domestic sales and further processing in order to become a leading industrial sector. Hungary also possesses modern separation techniques and large instruments for analysis, which allow the proper analytical examination of drugs and the precise determination of their active substances. Our universities