Abstract
Phytomedicines are the drugs obtained using exclusively vegetal drug derivates as active constituents, characterized by the knowledge of the effectiveness and the risks of its use, as well as for its quality constancy. Effectiveness and safety can be validated through ethnopharmacological surveys, scientific publications or pre-clinic and clinic pharmacological studies. Safety can also be determined by assays that prove the identity of the plant and the absence of contaminants. The quality must be reached through a control of the raw materials, pharmaceutical formulation, packing materials and stability studies. This article describes some topics of the phytomedicine registration process in the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA), Brazilian agency that regulates and register medicines.