An overview of the regulation of complementary medicines in Australia | Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)

In Australia, medicinal products containing such ingredients as herbs, vitamins, minerals, nutritional supplements, homoeopathic and certain aromatherapy preparations are referred to as 'complementary medicines' and are regulated as medicines under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 (link is external) (the Act).

A complementary medicine is defined in the Therapeutic Goods Regulations 1990 (link is external) as a therapeutic good consisting principally of one or more designated active ingredients mentioned in Schedule 14 of the Regulations, each of which has a clearly established identity and traditional use:

Designated active ingredients

1. an amino acid

2. charcoal

3. a choline salt

4. an essential oil

5. plant or herbal material (or a synthetically produced substitute for material of that kind), including plant fibres, enzymes, algae, fungi, cellulose and derivatives of cellulose and chlorophyll

6. a homeopathic preparation

7. a microorganism, whole or extracted, except a vaccine

8. a mineral including a mineral salt and a naturally occurring mineral

9. a mucopolysaccharide

10. non human animal material (or a synthetically produced substitute for material of that kind) including dried material, bone and cartilage, fats and oils and other extracts or concentrates

11. a lipid, including an essential fatty acid or phospholipid

12. a substance produced by or obtained from bees, including royal jelly, bee pollen and propolis

13. a sugar, polysaccharide or carbohydrate

14. a vitamin or provitamin