WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants, Volume 3

This book contains 28 monographs on widely used medicinal plants, selected for inclusion on the basis of scientific evidence for both safety and efficacy. Each monograph contains two parts, the first of which provides pharmacopoeial summaries for quality assurance purposes, including botanical features, identity tests, purity requirements, chemical assays and major chemical constituents. The second part, drawing on an extensive review of scientific research, describes the clinical applications of the plant material, with detailed pharmacological information and sections on contraindications, adverse effects and dosage. The monographs are intended to promote international harmonization in the quality control and use of herbal medicines and to serve as models for the development of national formularies.