Microbiologicals
My herb source requires microbiological testing and certificates of analysis from all of its suppliers for every batch of herbs. Testing is done in either the U.S. or in the U.K., in government regulated labs. The herbs are tested for the following:

Total Aerobic Microbial Count
Total combined yeast and molds
Coliforms
E. Coli
Salmonella

Test methods used are those specified by the European Pharmacopoeia, which are in conformity with the tests specified by the AHPA (American Herbal Products Association) and ANSI Standard 173. We adhere to the microbiological standards provided by the AHPA. They are as follows:

Total aerobic microbial count 10^7
Total combined yeast and molds 10^5
Coliform 10^4
E. Coli absent in 1 gm
Salmonella absent in 10 gm

Heavy Metals
My source tests its herbs and products for arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury using independent U.S. laboratories. All of their products are within the safety guidelines stipulated by the American National Standards Institute/National Sanitation Foundation International Dietary Supplement Standard 173 (ANSI 173). The acceptable limits for daily intake are as follows:

Arsenic content shall not exceed 0.01 milligrams per daily dose (10 micrograms per day)
Cadmium content shall not exceed 0.006 mg/d (6 micrograms per day)
Lead content shall not exceed 0.02 mg/d (20 micrograms per day)
Mercury content shall not exceed 0.02 mg/d (20 micrograms per day)

Pesticides
For an herb to be certified organic, the farm must be certified to be free from the use of pesticides, sewage sludge, GMOs and ionizing radiation. My supplier does spot testing for pesticides in third-party labs to ensure the integrity of the organic certification of its partner farms.

Some companies market their herbs as "organic" but unless they are USDA certified by an accredited certifying agency of the National Organics Program (NOP), they have not been legally validated as organic. The NOP is the gold standard in the United States for certified organic materials. All of my source's organic herbs and products are USDA certified organic

Look for certification and the USDA seal on products labeled "organic." It's your assurance that the product has been grown and handled without harmful chemicals and pesticides, in accordance with the USDA's strict organic standards.

Identification
My supplier uses the industry-accepted practice of organoleptic testing for the proper identification of its botanicals. This involves the physical examination of the herbs using the senses of sight, taste, smell and touch. Their staff includes recognized experts in the field of ayurvedic herb identification. In addition, qualified botanists in both India and Sri Lanka conduct botanical verification of every species grown and also identify the species at the collection point. They use visual identification, microscopic identification (involving checking plant cell structures against pharmacopoeia standards) as well as Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) and High Performance Layer Chromatography (HPLC) to verify that what they are collecting is actually the correct species. Only on passing these tests do the plants proceed for further cleaning and drying.

Once dry, the herbs are subjected to tests in accordance with the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India. This reveals that the levels of solids, ash content and active ingredients present in the plants actually conform to the recommended reference ranges.