Our ongoing commitment to improve quality control
We work to continually improve the quality of our products. We have always done microbial, sulfur and general heavy metals testing on our Plum Flower® Brand un-sulfured bulk herbs. In addition, since January of 2001, we have also been testing our bulk herbs specifically for lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium. We have also been testing and setting limits for DDT and benzene hexachloride, two very toxic and banned pesticides. Our most recent achievement (July, 2001) of source improvements have allowed us to further lower our heavy metal limits for Plum Flower® and Min Shan® Brand formulas to 3 ppm for lead, 2 ppm for arsenic, 0.5 ppm for mercury, and 1 ppm for cadmium. We continue to gather data on soil pollution where herbs are grown allowing us to make ever more informed choices regarding herb sourcing as we strive for cleaner, more pure herbs and herbal products.

Internationally Certified GMP Factories
Part of the quality assurance Plum Flower® brings to you is in the choosing of exceptional manufacturers to create our products. All of our manufacturers comply with the new stringent Chinese Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and have also been certified by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). GMP certification means that the site and methods employed in the production of our herbs has been subject to a thorough quality control investigation and is certified to be in compliance. Guidelines vary from country to country. The Australian standards are some of the highest in the world, as dietary and herbal supplements there are subject to the same guidelines as pharmaceuticals. The certification process covers everything from the building and grounds, to the equipment, personnel and training, to sanitation and hygiene, to air and water purification, to production and documentation. These standards for manufacturing are the guidelines upon which our manufacturers base each decision, and allow us to have the confidence to say that they are some of the best herbal product manufacturers not only in China, but also in the world today.

Laboratory Testing
Each of the internationally GMP certified factories where Plum Flower® teapills, tablets, extracts and liquid products are produced has an in-house lab where extensive quality control analysis is performed. All raw materials are identified and basic tests are performed before use. Chemical analyses including TLC (thin layer chromatography) and HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) are also used to confirm identification, ensure potency and to test for active constituents when necessary.

Tests for moisture content, dissolution, heavy metals (lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium) and microbial content are performed on every batch of finished product. Plum Flower® restrictions on heavy metal and microbial contaminants are stringent and in line with international requirements. Following extensive in-house testing, heavy metal testing is conducted again at third party labs to confirm results and to ensure that our standards of purity and safety are met. More sophisticated analyses, such as Aristolochic Acid testing and Chloramphenicol testing, are conducted at outside certified labs.

When the products arrive in the U.S. they are subject to an additional review by the FDA ensuring that the products you receive meet every safety standard.

*Glossary of Terms
PPM - parts per million: a unit of measure equivalent to milligrams per kilogram. Measured in milligrams (mg) per unit of measure: 5 ppm = 5 mg/Liter and 5 mg/Kg.

PPB - parts per billion: a unit of measure equivalent to micrograms per kilogram. Measured in micrograms (mcg) per unit of measure: 5 ppb = 5 mcg/Liter and 5 mcg/Kg.

GMP - Good Manufacturing Practices: manufacturing guidelines pertaining to the adherence to certain standards in regards to manufacturing environment and equipment, personnel training, processing, quality control, and record keeping.

NSRL - No Significant Risk Level: the level at which it is calculated to result in not more than one excess case of cancer in 100,000 individuals exposed over a 70-year lifetime.

NOEL - No Observable Effect Level: the highest dose level at which it has not been associated with an observable reproductive harm in humans or test animals.

Heavy Metals - metals that exist in the environment or in the body at very low levels and have molecular densities at least five times greater than water.

For more information visit Mayway corporation website at http://www.mayway.com

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