Germany's Commission E is an official government agency that performs a job similar to that of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), only it's specifically focused on herbs. In 1978, the Bundesgesundheitsamt (Federal Health Agency) organized a special commission to evaluate the safety and efficacy of medicinal herbs. The Commission E monographs, the outcome of this effort, consist of over 300 brief articles on the most medically important herbal preparations. These monographs serve as the basis for the medical usage of herbs within the German health care system and outline acceptable manufacturing processes on the basis of available scientific and clinical evidence.
