Mr. Kwabena Kyei-Asubonteng, herbal practitioner in–charge of the Soafa Scientific Herbal Clinic at Nkawkaw in the Kwahu West Municipality, has called on herbal practitioners to move from the traditional form of preparing herbal medicine and adopt standards that are internationally recognized and accepted. He said the accepted standards of preparing and packaging of herbal medicines would help promote their products on the international market and enable them to keep abreast with their counterparts in China and European countries for the sector to be competitive. Mr. Asubonteng, who made the call in an interview with GNA at Nkawkaw, said presenting preparations and packaging them in a tea bags, encapsulating, tinctures and powder forms did not only make the product wholesome but also made them attractive and preserved. Mr. Asubonteng noted that research had shown that the lifespan of boiled herbal medicines would not be more the 24 hours, adding that, adding certain chemical substances helps to preserve their lifespan. Mr. Asubonteng urged the practitioners to stick to the best method of preserving the herbs and should avoid exposing the herbs to direct sunlight when drying saying that could make the herbs to lose some amount of potency. Meanwhile the Soafa Scientific Herbal Clinic has procured a 50 million-cedi ultra sound equipment for the laboratory department of the clinic to cater for diagnostic ailments. Source: GNA