Understanding Health Canada’s Natural Health Products Ingredients Database (NHPID)
In Canada’s evolving natural health product (NHP) regulatory environment, the Natural Health Products Ingredients Database (NHPID) is an essential tool for regulatory professionals, manufacturers, and product formulators.
The Natural Health Products Directorate is responsible for regulatory oversight, setting standards, licensing, and ensuring compliance for natural health products in Canada.
It helps ensure that Natural Health Products available on the Canadian market meet Health Canada’s safety, quality, and efficacy standards.
What Is the NHPID?
The Natural Health Products Ingredients Database (NHPID) is an online database managed by Health Canada through the Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate (NNHPD).
It is used to support the evaluation and licensing of NHPs and contains detailed data on:
- Medicinal, non-medicinal, and non-NHP ingredients
- Proper names and common names of ingredients
- Source materials (e.g., plant, mineral, animal origin)
- Pre-cleared allowable uses and health claims
- Acceptable daily doses
- Restrictions and warnings
- Product monographs and single ingredient monographs
⚠️ Important: Listing in the NHPID does not mean the ingredient has been fully evaluated for safety or efficacy. It only confirms eligibility for use in a Natural Health Product under Canadian regulations.
Why the NHPID Is Important
The NHPID plays a central role in the Natural Health Products Regulations. Here’s why it matters:
In terms of safety and quality, the database provides pre-cleared information that has been reviewed and approved by regulatory authorities to support the safety, efficacy, and quality of natural health products. This ensures that manufacturers and consumers have access to reliable, authoritative data when evaluating ingredients or formulations.
- Regulatory Guidance
- Applicants for NHP licences must use the NHPID to confirm if an ingredient is permitted for use.
- In some cases, applicants may also be required to provide a clinical evidence to justify the inclusion of certain ingredients in their product formulations.
- Transparency
- It’s a publicly accessible database for consumers, health professionals, and industry stakeholders.
- Safety and Quality
- The database helps ensure safe, effective, and high-quality NHPs, often providing dosage limits and safety standards.
- Standardized Terminology
- It improves consistency in how ingredients, claims, and sources are documented—benefiting both regulators and manufacturers.
NHPID Classification
The way ingredients are classified in the Natural Health Products Ingredients Database (NHPID) is fundamental to the regulatory framework for natural health products in Canada. The NHPID classification system organizes ingredients into specific groups based on their unique characteristics, intended functions, and source materials. This structured approach is essential for upholding the standards set out in the natural health products regulations.
Within the health products ingredients database, ingredients are sorted into categories such as medicinal ingredients, non-medicinal ingredients, and non-NHP ingredients. Each group is further defined by properties like source (plant, animal, mineral, or synthetic), preparation type, and intended use within a product. This detailed classification helps manufacturers, formulators, and regulatory professionals quickly identify the appropriate use and regulatory requirements for each ingredient.
The NHPID classification also supports the safety and efficacy of natural health products by ensuring that only ingredients meeting specific criteria are included in the database. It enables users to retrieve data efficiently, compare ingredient profiles, and confirm compliance with Health Canada’s standards. By maintaining a clear and consistent system for categorizing natural health products ingredients, the NHPID helps streamline the product development process and supports the overall integrity of the Canadian natural health marketplace.
Whether you are searching for a specific ingredient, reviewing a product formulation, or preparing a product licence application, understanding the NHPID’s classification system is key to navigating the ingredients database and ensuring your health products meet all regulatory requirements.
How to Use the NHPID
To access the Natural Health Products Ingredients Database:
- Visit the Natural Health Products Online Solution web page.
- Review the Natural Health Products Ingredients Database Web Application Guide for navigation and search tips.
- Choose your search option:
- By ingredient
- By role (medicinal or non-medicinal)
The NHPID search engine allows users to enter a single word or phrase to retrieve ingredient information. You can search the following fields: ingredient name, type, dosage forms, and chemical abstract service (CAS) number. The drop-down list feature lets you select from available options such as dosage forms, organism type, and source material.
Tip: Use quotation marks around your search term to find an exact match for an ingredient name. If your searched term does not return results, try other combinations of keywords, consider more than one spelling, or use the latin binomial or latin binomial name.
Search results display detailed information about each ingredient, including proper names, common names, and links to product monographs for further ingredient information.
The NHPID web page provides access to core sets of natural health product information, and electronic transmission ensures data consistency across the nhp online system.
You can also perform an ingredient search directly on Google by typing: Key Features of the NHPID
- Direct links to single-ingredient and product monographs
- Information on Abbreviated Labelling Standards
- Controlled vocabulary search for standardized results
- Search by category, such as dosage form or organism type
- “What’s New in the NHPID” page, updated monthly with ingredient changes and additions
When an Ingredient Is Missing from the NHPID
Because the NHP licence application form pulls ingredients directly from the database, any missing ingredient can delay your licence application. If no ingredients are found or the search fails, applicants should verify the correct nhpid name and check if the ingredient is nhpid listed before submitting a request.
If an ingredient is not listed, the applicant must submit a request to add it using the new Natural Health Products Ingredients Database Issue Form.
The NHPID Issue Form: What You Need to Know
Released: July 2025
Purpose: To improve service and streamline ingredient modification or addition requests to the NHPID. The form can be used to request ingredient modifications, including updates to ingredient information, sub ingredient relationships, new sub ingredient relationships, and source ingredient details. Modification related requests may involve changes to source material constituents, organism parts, or protein substances.
Submission Process:
- Complete the NHPID Issue Form.
- Allow a minimum of four weeks for review.
- Note that the NHPID is updated monthly, and NNHPD does not contact requesters when an ingredient is approved—updates appear on the “What’s New in the NHPID” page.
How Dell Tech Can Help with NHP Compliance
At Dell Tech Laboratories, we specialize in helping companies navigate the Natural Health Products Regulations and Health Canada licensing requirements.
Our experts can assist with:
- NHP formula assessments
- Label reviews
- Product licence applications
- Site licensing and GMP consultation
- Ingredient submissions and NHPID requests
We act as your trusted partner through every step of the Health Canada regulatory process, ensuring your products are compliant and market ready.
📞 Contact Dell Tech today for expert assistance with your Natural Health Product licensing and compliance needs.
DELL TECH HAS PROVIDED PROFESSIONAL, CONFIDENTIAL CONSULTING SERVICES TO THE SPECIALTY CHEMICAL INDUSTRY IN CANADA, THE USA, EUROPE AND ASIA FOR THE LAST 40 YEARS.
English 
