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. |
