Macroscopic & Microscopic Atlas of Pharmacopoeial drugs: Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India (Volume V, Part I)

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About the Book

The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part-l, Vol. V is a legal document of standards for the quality of single Drugs included therein (under the Drug and Cosmetic Act, 1940) and comprises of 92 monographs on single drugs of plant origin. Macroscopic and Microscopic Atlas of Pharmacopoeial drugs is a companion volume of Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part-I, Vol. V comprising illustrative details on Macro and Microscopy of all the plant drugs covered in pharmacopoeia. It is first of its kind. All the illustrations under each monograph are in conformity with the textual part of pharmacopoeia. The photograph and drawings follow the approaches recommended in the classical texts of Pharmacognosy. Anatomical and histochemical treatments, instruments used for drawing, and the field photographs as well as photomicrographs are those accepted in the study of crude drugs Experimental details are given in the Appendices of the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India. It may be pointed out that the details given here are solely to help analytical personnel in a laboratory, as additional visual aids to confirm their identity and it has no mandatory status. Users are welcome to give their suggestions on these monographs so that these suggestions are evaluated and followed in the forthcoming volumes of Microscopic and Macroscopic Atlas of Pharmacopoeial Drugs.

Introduction

As a part of the ambitious and time consuming programme of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, for the quality control of the drugs and formulations of the Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani systems, the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia Committee duly constituted under the Department of AYUSH has been periodically publishing monographs prescribing quality standards for the raw materials of natural origin. The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India consists of two parts, Part-I and Part-II, the former dealing with raw material of Single Drugs used by the Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani pharmaceutical manufacturers and the latter including the classical compound formulations.

A part of this programme is the preparation of an illustrated guidance manual as a companion to each of the volume of the single drugs. This would greatly enhance the understanding of the drug descriptions given in the monographs, by the stake holders, particularly in regulatory laboratories of the State Governments. As a consequence, a small Committee constituted by the APC has compiled a set of photographs, macroscopic and microscopic drawings of the drug material appearing in the volume V of Part I of the API. Similarly each of the volumes in part I of the API would have a companion volume of photographs and drawings. Such companion volumes would also be prepared for the monographs of compound formulations appearing in different volumes of the API- Part 11 Illustrating the feature of the tissue debris isolated from the formulations amenable to such a treatment, so that the ingredients may be identified.

This publication deals with the crude drugs included in volume V of Part-I, and the illustrations represent the diagnostic features described in the monographs therein. These have been prepared from the anatomical studies carried out on authentic crude drugs by the collaborators to whom the task was assigned. However, a few photographs of plants and herbarium sheets taken from other publication and Institutions are also included with due acknowledgement to the sources.

The photographs and drawings follow the approaches recommended in the classical texts of Pharmacognosy. Anatomical and histochemical treatments, instruments used for drawing, and the field photographs as well as photomicrographs are those accepted in the study of crude drugs and therefore the methodologies are not elaborated here. However, these are given in detail in the Appendices of the API, in all the volumes.

It may be pointed out that the details given here are solely to help analytical personnel, as additional visual aids to confirm their identity and it has no mandatory status.

Differences in skills in the artistry involved in the execution and presentation of illustrations accompanying textual matter is an inherent feature in any collaborative work of this nature, and is evident here also. The collection of photographs and drawings are contributed by the collaborating laboratories throughout the country including Headquarters' Office, Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha, New Delhi, and while several of them may lack artistic appeal, accuracy of detail has not been neglected.