Safety Assurance

Advanced Safety & Purity Testing at ActivateQi

Comprehensive Quality Assurance, From Soil to Final Extract

Safety and efficacy are non-negotiable at ActivateQi. Every herb in our line of full-spectrum extracts is tested far beyond minimum requirements to ensure the absence of harmful contaminants. Through our exclusive manufacturing partner, we uphold internationally recognized safety benchmarks and go even further, implementing proactive research and customized internal standards that often exceed regulatory norms.

Our testing protocols meet and surpass the standards of:

  • Chinese Pharmacopoeia
  • United States Pharmacopoeia (USP)
  • European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.)
  • Hong Kong Standards for Chinese Medicines

Our quality lab is nationally accredited under ISO 17025 by CNAS, verifying our analytical testing processes at the highest global level.

Rigorous Testing: What We Screen For

We perform extensive testing on both raw materials and finished products for:

  • Heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium)
  • Pesticide residues
  • Aflatoxins
  • Sulfur dioxide

Cutting-edge instruments, including inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), gas chromatography, and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), ensure precise and reliable analysis.

Going Beyond Compliance: Proactive Safety Research

In response to naturally occurring safety risks in herbal medicine, we have implemented a continuous research initiative. Over 100 herb varieties have been flagged for enhanced monitoring due to increased sensitivity to environmental contamination. These are subject to deeper inspection, including:

  • In-depth origin tracing
  • Environmental screening of soil, water, and air
  • Microbial and chemical profiling
  • Seasonal and batch-specific testing

When safety concerns are identified, we take immediate corrective actions, including modifying cultivation, harvesting, and processing practices.

Key Focus Areas in Contaminant Control

1. Heavy Metal Mitigation

After reviewing more than 60 herb varieties found to be vulnerable to heavy metal accumulation, we implemented a multilayered prevention strategy:

  • Origin Optimization: Herbs are sourced only from verified safe regions, based on environmental testing of soil, air, and water.
  • Part-Specific Research: We study which parts of plants (roots, leaves, stems) accumulate more contaminants, then guide farms in choosing the safest and most potent harvest material.
  • Routine Screening: Heavy metals are now included in both raw material and finished product testing as standard practice, using internal thresholds that exceed many national guidelines.

2. Pesticide Residue Reduction

Through targeted testing, we identified nearly 20 herb varieties prone to pesticide overuse. To control this risk, we:

  • Establish dedicated or cooperative farms, where integrated pest management (IPM) replaces chemical reliance.
  • Set strict in-house standards for pesticide residue levels.
  • Reject or re-test any batch that does not meet our internal benchmarks before production begins.

3. Aflatoxin Prevention

Aflatoxins, natural toxins from mold, are a known risk in nuts and seeds, including herbs like Suan Zao Ren and Tao Ren. We’ve addressed this in two main ways:

  • Processing Overhaul: We revised outdated processing techniques, such as replacing long soaking methods with dry, clean, rapid hand-processing to prevent mold growth.
  • Seasonal Sourcing: For herbs vulnerable to spoilage (e.g., fresh Corydalis root), we require immediate post-harvest drying and on-demand production to avoid exposure to mold-friendly environments.

4. Sulfur Dioxide Control

While sulfur fumigation is traditionally used to prevent insect damage, we’ve found over 60 varieties susceptible to excess sulfur dioxide residue. To correct this:

  • We’ve implemented non-sulfur preservation techniques wherever possible.
  • We enforce internal sulfur dioxide limits aligned with, and often stricter than, international standards.
  • All batches are tested for sulfur dioxide residues and must meet our clean-label requirements.

Setting New Standards for Chinese Herbal Safety

Where industry norms fall short, ActivateQi steps forward. Our work with our manufacturer has helped fill critical gaps in safety standards for herbal extracts, from heavy metal tolerances to aflatoxin risk management. This positions us not only as practitioners of excellence, but as contributors to the future of safe, sustainable East Asian medicine.