Reference
Glossary
Key terms from pharmaceutical cannabis cultivation, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance — explained in plain language.
C
- CAPAQuality
- Corrective and Preventive Action — a systematic process for identifying, investigating, and resolving quality deviations to prevent recurrence.
- ChemovarCultivation
- A plant classification based on its chemical profile rather than its physical appearance, used to ensure consistent therapeutic outcomes.
- COA (Certificate of Analysis)Quality
- A document issued by a laboratory confirming that a batch meets all specified quality and potency requirements.
D
- DQ/IQ/OQ/PQQuality
- Design, Installation, Operational, and Performance Qualification — four sequential validation stages that prove equipment is fit for pharmaceutical use.
E
- EU-GMPRegulatory
- European Union Good Manufacturing Practice — the mandatory quality standard for producing pharmaceutical products sold in Europe.
F
- FertigationCultivation
- The practice of delivering dissolved nutrients directly through an irrigation system for precise, uniform plant feeding.
G
- GACPRegulatory
- Good Agricultural and Collection Practice — guidelines ensuring medicinal plants are cultivated and harvested to consistent quality standards.
- GC / GC-FIDAnalytical
- Gas Chromatography with Flame Ionisation Detection — an analytical method used to measure terpene and residual-solvent concentrations.
H
- HPLCAnalytical
- High-Performance Liquid Chromatography — a laboratory technique used to separate, identify, and quantify cannabinoid concentrations in plant material.
I
- ICH Q7Regulatory
- An international guideline defining Good Manufacturing Practice specifically for active pharmaceutical ingredients.
P
- PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation)Cultivation
- The spectrum of light (400–700 nm) that plants use for photosynthesis, measured to optimise grow-light intensity.
- Ph. Eur. / European PharmacopoeiaRegulatory
- The official reference that sets legally binding quality standards for medicines and their ingredients across Europe.
- PhotoperiodCultivation
- The ratio of light to dark hours in a 24-hour cycle, manipulated in cultivation to trigger flowering in cannabis plants.
S
- SAHPRARegulatory
- South African Health Products Regulatory Authority — the national body that licenses the cultivation, manufacture, and distribution of medicinal cannabis.
- Section 22CRegulatory
- A provision of South Africa's Medicines Act that authorises the use of unregistered medicines under controlled conditions, including medicinal cannabis.
T
- Terpene ProfileAnalytical
- The unique combination and concentration of aromatic compounds in a cannabis plant that influence its therapeutic effects and sensory characteristics.
V
- Venlo GreenhouseCultivation
- A Dutch-engineered greenhouse design with multi-span glass roofing, optimised for light transmission and climate control in commercial horticulture.
- VPD (Vapour Pressure Deficit)Cultivation
- The difference between the moisture air can hold and the moisture it currently holds, a key metric for managing plant transpiration and growth rates.