ISO 6904:2024

International
Standard
ISO 6904
First edition
Traditional Chinese Medicine —
2024-04
General requirements for the
ultrafine powder of herbs
Médecine traditionnelle chinoise — Exigences générales relatives
à la poudre ultrafine d'herbes médicinales
Reference number
© ISO 2024
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ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 General requirements . 2
4.1 General .2
4.2 Identification .2
4.3 Assay .2
4.4 Determination of extractives .3
4.5 Determination of moisture content .3
4.6 Uniformity of appearance .3
4.7 Particle size distribution .3
4.8 Pesticide residues .3
4.9 Heavy metals .3
4.10 Residue of sulfur dioxide .3
4.11 Mycotoxins .3
4.12 Microorganisms .3
4.13 Aristolochic acids .4
4.14 Aconitum alkaloids .4
5 Test methods . 4
5.1 Identification .4
5.2 Assay .4
5.3 Extractives .4
5.4 Moisture .4
5.5 Uniformity of appearance .4
5.6 Particle size distribution .4
5.7 Pesticide residues .4
5.8 Heavy metals .4
5.9 Residue of sulfur dioxide .4
5.10 Mycotoxins .4
5.11 Microorganism .5
5.12 Aristolochic acids .5
5.13 Aconitum alkaloids .5
6 Packaging and labelling . 5
Bibliography . 6

iii
Foreword
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iv
Introduction
Ultrafine powder of herbs is an innovative development of the traditional powder form of decoction pieces
that have been used commonly in traditional Chinese medicine for over 2 000 years. Ultrafine powder of
herbs is prepared by pulverizing decoction pieces into ultrafine powder, followed by systematic quality
analyses, which can increase the utilization efficiency, ensure consistency of quality and guarantee the
safety of Chinese medicines. Ultrafine powder of herbs can be directly taken orally but is more commonly
used as a raw material in the preparation of finished products. This is done by turning ultrafine powder of
herbs into dosage form, such as granules, capsules or tablets, in order to achieve longer storage times and
make its use more convenient.
Ultrafine powder of herbs and its products are becoming increasingly popular due to the obvious advantages
in safety control
...