The basic format of
a monograph includes:
Characteristics: Macroscopical and microscopical
descriptions of the herbal material, prepared by eminent
pharmacognosists, together with odour and taste descriptions.
Identification: In devising techniques for
comparative identification, particular attention was
paid to thin-layer chromatography (TLC) with the help
of chromatography specialists. All the TLC methods were
designed to be within the scope of the average chemical
laboratory. Complex procedures and the need for a wide
range of chemical markers were deliberately avoided.
Quantitative Standards: Depending on the material,
these may include limits for foreign matter, loss on
drying, total and/or acid-insoluble ash, amounts of
solvent extractives and volatile oil. The limits were
set after extensive consultation with the industry,
herbal practitioners and academics to arrive at realistic
control specifications for assurance of quality without
excluding satisfactory materials of commerce. Quantitative
assays for active principles are not included in the
monographs because, in the majority of cases, it is
not possible to determine which individual components
within a herb are the actives. Herbs contain a complex
and synergistic mixture of active compounds which rarely
exhibit the same potency when isolated.
Material of Commerce: A brief description
of the form of the material and its main geographical
sources.
Powdered Material: A description of characteristic
macroscopical and microscopical features.
Action: Very briefly, the principal pharmacological
action(s) of the herb. |
