Care for a tom yam flavoured candy? It's one of many novelties entering the increasingly popular market for herbal products. But whether a mass market can be created remains a question. Catering to human needs from head to toe, for external and internal use, many herbal products' efficacy cannot be documented scientifically. But folk wisdom attests to tangible benefits for most consumers. About 80% of edible or external-use herbal products do not have Food and Drug Administration approval but can still be marketed directly to consumers.

"The use of herbs, while it can be very beneficial, should still be limited to traditional ways. We are not ready for mass production of herb-based products," said Assoc Prof Weena Jiratchariyakul, head of the Medicinal Plant Information Centre at Mahidol University. Traditional ways of preparing and using herbs have been transferred from one generation. to the next and have proved to be safe. This has not always been the case with herbal products made with new technology, she cautioned.

"Garcenia products have been heavily promoted as a weight-redueing herb but some of them turned out to cause gastroenteritis, resulting in consumers being unable to eat for days. Careful studies of quality-control issues are needed before industrialisation of herb-based production can start safely, Prof Weena said.

"It is totally different from making modern medicine. One has to know exactly the quality of the herbs and have in-depth detail about the appropriate times for herb to be cultivated and harvested. The way herbs are extracted can also affect the quality of the product. But while quality development and control still need more study, herbal products, both domestic and imported, have been flooding the market.

"The public is increasingly interested in herbal products which might result from the trend of wanting to get closer to nature," said Kreetha pong Sidolusmee, chairman of BIG International, producer of tom yam candy.

"The problem is that foreign herbal products are very popular despite the fact that the use of herbs has been a fact of daily life for Thais for centuries." Mr Kreethapong said the tom yam candy was produced to enable consumers to enjoy tasteful Thai herbs, not to replicate the flavour of the popular soup. The expanding market base has encouraged imports of foreign herbal products. Thai manufacturers are considered relative newcomers in their own home market, though the potential is good. In fact, heavy promotion by well heeled foreign producers of herbal products has helped increase demand for Thai herbs also.

"Thai herbal products are new in the market because most herb consumers side with imported products, Mr Kreethapong said.

"And now that Thai companies have developed a wide range of products, the market size should expand further." Many of the new products follow the herb-based medicines of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Organisation. Because many of these have FDA approval, private companies believe they can introduce similar products to increase consumers' confidence. Sittichai Somboonvajchakarn, vice-president of Thai Traditional Medicine Manufacturing Co, said the Buy-Thai campaign had also encouraged consumers to pay more interest in products such as herbal shampoo, soap, toothpaste, food and medicine.

'We will see herb-based products in many forms ranging from dried, powdered, bottled or capsule form," Prof Weena said. "But the fact is that only 20% of products available on the market has FDA approval, and this means consumers should be very careful." She said the FDA should introduce standard regulations and control and speed up product-testing procedures. Private manufacturers, meanwhile, must be more aware of possible health risks of consumers.

"If only standardisation were set, Thai herbal products would become an even bigger business with bright export potential," she said. Mr Kreethapong agreed and said product quality had always been a big headache.

"There are always problems of quality and quantity. Herb supplies have a wide range of quality depending on many factors such as plantation location, humidity, size and dust. Supply quantities can never be assured either." BIG International has spent more than a decade buildin a network of herb cultivators in order to ensure a steady supply, thus paving the way for larger-scale production. It has also collaborated with the

Public Health Ministry to introduce the Thai Shop franchise to market high quality herbal products. "Currently we have eight outlets and 30 more will be opened within the next few months. We will also participate in an international show in London this August to promote our Herbec brand herbal products in Europe," he said. Mr Kreethapong said there were some misunderstandings about FDA policy. The law states that herbal products that have not been processed can be sold without FDA approval. Some people misinterpret and believe that products using only a single type of herb do not need approval. The FDA should also clarify and standardise its criteria for traditional medicine, he said. Khao-La-Or Bhaesaj Ltd, one of Thailand's most recognised producers of herb-based products, has experienced the problems of inconsistent policy, said general manager Dominic W. Pongboriboon. The company's traditional parasite-killing medicine has been on and off the FDA traditional medicine control lists, due to lack of standards.

"It's in and out and in again. That has caused a big problem because it confused consumers," he said. Khao-La-Or, having experienced the ups and downs of dealing with the Public Health Ministry, has developed further business opportunities. It is now producing a range of instant herbal drinks in ginger, chrysanthemum and rosella flavours. The products have been very successful in both domestic and export markets, and its flagship garlic capsules and tablets have also done well. Thai researchers and Khao-La-Or spent nearly seven years working oii the garlic product with German based Prottrade/Deutsche Gesell schaft fur Technishe Zusammenar beit (GTZ). In 1996 they finally found a way to maintain the potency of allicin, the active ingredient, and how to coat the tablets so that allicin is dissolved in the small intestine as needed, not in the stomach.