Business Creed
We believe that traditional healing and modern medicine is intended to serve health hand in hand, supporting each other. We believe that the 'traditional' medicine and herbal medicine are not mutually exclusive, but complementary.
We represent that science combined with thousands of years of folk knowledge are continuously adding new perspectives in medicine. The drugs from the pharma factory of nature play an important role not only in treatment, but also in prevention.
Furthermore, we represent that the thousands of compounds found in plants, act in a complex way involving several attack points, and thus the ability to promote healing.
We believe that the quality-controlled, standardized herbal medicines are one of the most important tools for healing in the future.
Our mission is to develop products, provision services based on 100 year’s "know-how" of herbal science, and thereby raising the herbal industry to a higher level, disseminating herbal knowledge as wide as possible.
Hundred years - in a nutshell
The Research Institute for Medicinal Plants and Herbs Ltd. has a past of more than hundred years. The history of our Institute began in 1915 when the Ministry of Agriculture founded the Herb Experimental Station in Budapest, which – despite the unfortunate historical events – has became the basis of the entire Hungarian industrial medicinal plant research, development and certification
Early times
In the early times during the world war, the objective of the Herb Experimental Station was the research for new species in order to meet the demand for medicinal raw materials and to provide herbs for various research. The Institute has established the base of the whole Hungarian herbal science, it was the origin of the Hungarian medicinal plant research. The Institute was pioneer in botanical description, naturalization, medicinal plant cultivation, analytical testing. It has established and operated a quality control system, which was an example throughout Europe and gained world renown for the Hungarian herb. The first certification system of herbs introduced in Hungary provided a model for further European countries to follow.
The age of pharmaceutical research and development
In 1957, Professor Péter Tétényi become the head of the Institute. At this point, targeted research was started, which resulted in the development of large-scale cultivation systems of poppy, digitalis, spurred rye and amsonia, ensuring thereby the herbal raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry.
From 1982, the Institute was operated by the joint venture of six pharmaceutical companies belonging to the Ministry of Industry. During the period 1967-1990, the Institute became the biological background of the pharmaceutical industry and was recognized worldwide as one of the most important centers of medicinal plant research. Amoung its achievements, the new medicinal plant varieties, patents, cultivation methods and analytical isolation techniques are worth mentioning.
Regime change and diversification
From 1990, Dr. Szabolcs Nyiredy, President of the Board, led the Institute for 16 years. After the regime change, the discontinuation of pharmaceutical research and development, the withdrawal of financial resources caused serious difficulties for the Institute. Scientific research and the operation of herb certification system was complemented by new activities such as issuing professional magazines, conference organization and manufacture of pharmaceuticals. The new GMP conform production plant realized in 2004 became the most stable pillar of the Institute.
On the wings of new winds
In 2006, after the tragic early death of the academician Szabolcs Nyiredy, the owners of the Research Institute for Medicinal Plants CC reorganized the Company. Its 100 hectares of land was outsourced in a Real Estate CC., its activity was restructured in RIMPH Ltd., that was decided to sell or liquide.
Since 2008, the Research Institute for Medicinal Plants Ltd. has been operating – retaining its name – as a member of PannonPharma Group, ensuring thereby that the unique, worldwide firstly established, internationally renowned base of Hungarian medicinal plant research with great tradition continues to be maintained.
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Our company today - and tomorrow
Our Institute operates on the basis of its century-old intellectual heritage, linking past and future. We are proud to move forward with more than 100 years behind us, not forgetting our traditions. We help rural regions to develop through educational programs, trainings and professional consultations. By means of professional workshops and forums we draw attention to the latest topics of herbal science. The guided visit in our Chemotaxonomical Botanical Garden helps every year hundreds of students and other visitors to extend their herbal knowledge. As we are convinced that herbal medicines are one of the most important healing tools of the future, our Company is committed to the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which represents an important and huge resource.
Structure
Plant
The new, modernly equipped GMP conform pharmaceutical production plant was built in 2004. The main activities are the manufacture and packaging of tinctures and traditional herbal medicines. The Manufacturer’s Authorisation covers liquids for external use, herbal products, bulk solutions containing active substances of herbal origin, primary and secondary packaging as well as the manufacturing of purified water (Aqua purificata).
Quality Control Department
In line with the 100-year tradition of the Institute, the Quality Control Department strives to maintain good technical status and professional competence. The number of employees is 10, of which 7 are graduates (chemists, bioengineers, food engineers) and 3 are technicians.
The quality control covers all steps from the raw materials, to in-process-controls up to the finished products, in compliance with the GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) guidelines in force. Biological and analytical tests are carried out primarily in accordance with the requirements of PhHg.VIII-cPhEur. In the absence of a Pharmacopoeia specification, new analytical methods are developed and validated following the ICH guidelines. In addition to analytical tests, organoleptic, macroscopic, microscopic tests as well as purity tests are an integral part of the quality control of herbs. Our Sensory Laboratory is specially designed for these purposes. The Microbiological Laboratory also plays an important role related to the production activity.
Quality Assurance Department
The Quality Assurance Department is responsible for the document management and approval accordingly to GMP guidelines, furthermore the release of starting materials, packing materials for processing, the release of finished products for delivery. The department operates and controls the whole quality assurance system.
Agricultural Department
Agricultural Department's main activities include the maintenance and development of the medicinal plant gene bank, the maintenance of the state-recognized medicinal plant varieties, the production of propagating material, the agrotechnologial development, and medicinal plant growing and contract-cultivation. Additionally, the Department is responsible for the maintenance of the Chemotaxonomical Botanical Garden.
R&D Department
Based on the foundation of our intellectual heritage, our R & D activity focuses on the areas where herbal products are less used but important, such as plant protection in organic farming.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is becoming more and more important in Europe, as a result of which the number of TCM herbal monographs in the European Pharmacopoeia is continuously increasing. Our company focuses on the identification, acclimatization, cultivation of TCM plants, the quality control of imported herbs and the development of TCM herbal preparations.