,Nigeria has introduced Nigerian Industrial Standard DNIS 1226:2025 to regulate the quality and safety of the medicinal plant Nauclea latifolia (African Peach), widely used in African Traditional Medicine. The standard aims to protect consumers and facilitate trade for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and herbal products derived from this plant. DNIS 1226:2025 specifies detailed microbiological limits for different stages of the plant: raw materials may contain up to 10⁷ yeasts and molds per gram but must be free from Escherichia coli and Shigella; pre-treated herbal materials like teas and infusions must restrict aerobic bacteria to 10⁵ CFU/g, yeasts and molds to 10⁴ cells/g, enterobacteria to 10³ CFU/g, E. coli to 10² CFU/g, and must be Salmonella-free; fully processed herbal products have stricter limits with many microbial contaminants completely absent. The standard also establishes physicochemical and toxicological criteria, including maximum heavy metal limits of 20 mg/kg for lead, cadmium, arsenic, chromium, mercury, and copper, and sets aflatoxin limits at 4 ppb total with 2 ppb for Aflatoxin B1. Additionally, parameters for ash content and moisture are included to ensure product stability and consumer safety.
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