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Superior Quality Control
We have an extensive system for maintaining the highest possible standards for quality control of our
herbs. Your health and well-being is our highest priority, and everything we do is managed with that in mind. We employ leading experts in
the field of Ayurveda, and we have partnered with reputable laboratories in the U.S. and U.K. to ensure the purity and safety of our
herbs.
Testing for botanicals is generally classified into the following four categories: Microbiologicals,
Heavy Metals, Pesticides, and Identification.
Microbiologicals
Banyan requires microbiological testing and certificates of analysis from all of our suppliers for
every batch of herbs. Testing is done in either the U.S. or in the U.K., in government regulated labs. The herbs are tested for the
following:
Total Aerobic Microbial Count
Total combined yeast and molds Coliforms E. Coli Salmonella Test methods used are those specified by the European Pharmacopoeia, which are in conformity with the
tests specified by the AHPA (American Herbal Products Association) and ANSI Standard 173. We adhere to the microbiological standards
provided by the AHPA. They are as follows:
Total aerobic microbial count 10^7
Total combined yeast and molds 10^5 Coliform 10^4 E. Coli absent in 1 gm Salmonella absent in 10 gm Certificates of Analysis (C of A) with test results are available on request for all of our
herbs.
Heavy Metals
We test our herbs and products for arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury using independent U.S.
laboratories. All of our products are within the safety guidelines stipulated by the American National Standards Institute/National
Sanitation Foundation International Dietary Supplement Standard 173 (ANSI 173). The acceptable limits for daily intake are as follows:
Arsenic content shall not exceed 0.01 milligrams per daily dose (10 micrograms per day) Cadmium content
shall not exceed 0.006 mg/d (6 micrograms per day) Lead content shall not exceed 0.02 mg/d (20 micrograms per day) Mercury content shall not
exceed 0.02 mg/d (20 micrograms per day)
Pesticides
Banyan's focus is on being a supplier of certified organic herbs. For an herb to be certified organic
the farm must be certified to be free from the use of pesticides, sewage sludge, GMO's and ionizing radiation. We do spot testing for
pesticides in third party labs to ensure the integrity of the organic certification of our partner farms.
Some companies market their herbs as "organic", but unless they are USDA certified by an
accredited certifying agency of the National Organics Program (NOP) they have not been legally validated as organic. The NOP is the gold
standard in the United States for certified organic materials. All of our organic herbs and products are USDA certified organic
Look for certification and the USDA seal on products labeled "organic." It's your assurance
that the product has been grown and handled without harmful chemicals and pesticides, in accordance with the USDAs strict organic
standards.
Identification
Banyan uses the industry accepted practice of organoleptic testing for the proper identification of our
botanicals. This involves the physical examination of the herbs using the senses of sight, taste, smell and touch. Our staff includes
recognized experts in the field of Ayurvedic herb identification. In addition, qualified botanists in both India and Sri Lanka conduct
botanical verification of every species grown and also identify the species at the collection point. We use visual identification,
microscopic identification (involving checking plant cell structures against pharmacopoeia standards) as well as Thin Layer Chromatography
(TLC) and High Performance Layer Chromatography (HPLC) to verify that what we are collecting is actually the correct species. Only on
passing these tests do the plants proceed for further cleaning and drying.
Once dry, the herbs are subjected to tests in accordance with the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India.
This reveals that the levels of solids, ash content and active ingredients present in the plants actually conform to the recommended
reference ranges.
Commitment to Excellence
All of our procedures here at Banyan are in alignment with industry standards and in accordance with
the Dietary Supplement Health Education Act (DSHEA) and the FDA's cGMPs (current Good Manufacturing Practices).
We are continually making improvements to our facility, systems and procedures. Every change we make is
structured and characterized to be fully compliant with the USDA's National Organic Program, ANSI Standard 173, AHPA standards and the new
cGMP for Dietary Supplements. We firmly believe that we are well ahead of the industry standards in all of these areas, and we intend to
stay ahead.
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