Regulation of herbs remains inconsistent in the U.S. today. In 1994, Congress passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). This law defines dietary supplements as plant extracts, enzymes, vitamins, and hormonal products that are available to the consumer without prescription. (6) Currently, there are no Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations that are specific to dietary supplements that establish a minimum standard of practice for manufacturing dietary supplements. At present, the manufacturer is responsible for establishing its own manufacturing practice guidelines to ensure that the dietary supplements it produces are safe and contain the ingredients listed on the label. 

Some manufacturers report that they follow the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs). GMPs are a variety of practices that ensure quality such as raw materials quality assurance; standards for cleanliness and safety; and in-house testing. GMPs are a more immediate and consistent way to control quality since they provide continual measures of quality that can uncover problems and fluctuations as they occur. Industry GMP standards are usually subject to an independent outside audit for compliance. Although a coalition of industry trade associations developed adraft version of GMPs, they are not currently enforced. The National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA) however developed a new GMP that they deem to be effective and appropriate. The NNFA GMP Certification Program went into effect in 1999. All NNFA supplier members are required to comply with NNFA's GMP standards to receive the NNFA GMP seal in product literature and on labels.