Herbal monographs

Herbal Medicines A Guide for Healthcare Professionals contains 148 detailed, herbal monographs. 

The HMPC is expected to establish community herbal monographs for herbal medicinal products. These herbal remedies have their product particulars and literature. Apart from other controls, any advertisement for a medicinal product registered is required to contain the following statement Traditional herbal medicinal product for use in specified indication(s) exclusively based upon long-standing use. ... 

The European system differs from that of the United States in that the manufacture of the more pharmacologically active herbs is for the most part regulated and is much more widely accepted by the medical community. Many health care providers routinely prescribe herbal treatments either alongside or in place of more conventional medications. The German government s Commission E publishes a set of herbal monographs that not only officially sets the standard for that country but has also become a widely respected clinical reference throughout the world. 

The recommended dosage of herbal medicines in Poland is in compliance with the dosage presented in Herbal Monographs, edited by Commission E of the Ministry of Health in Germany. The registration dossier requirements depend on the type of products. Major requirements, published in the Regulatory Affairs Journal, January 1997, for all categories are as follows ... 

Each herbal monograph begins with a discussion of the herb s uses, products, and the dosage forms available. This information, in conjuction with color photographs1 of some of the most popular products, can be of assistance in those situations where the identity of an herbal product is in question. 

A chapter on the legal aspects of herbal products provides an overview of the regulation of herbal products in the US and abroad. In addition, each herbal monograph reviews the herb s status internationally, including approved uses. 

EMEA. 2007. European Medicines Agency. Overview of comments received on Community Herbal Monograph on Plantago afra L. et Plantago indica L., semen (emea/hmpc/340865/2005). Doc. Ref. EMEA/HMPC/65063/2006. 

EMEA. 2008. Community herbal monograph on Solidago virgaurea L., heiba. London European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. 

All other homeopathic and herbal medicines that do not qualify for simplified registration procedures will have to go through the standard authorisation procedure with supporting technical dossiers. The Committee for Herbal Medicinal Products has been charged with preparing monographs on herbal products so as to further facilitate the registration of traditional and well-established use herbal products. 

Blumenthal M, Goldberg A, Brinckmann J. Herbal Medicine Expanded German Commission E Monographs. Austin, TX American Botanical Council, 2000. 

Monographs Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Austin American Botanical Council, 1998. 

The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database contains more than 1000 monographs. It is available online or in print for 92 per year (or 132 for both versions). It provides information about more than 1000 herbal and dietary supplement ingredients. 

Blumenthal M, ed. (1998). The Complete German Commission E Monographs Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Integrative Medicine Communications. 

IARC (2002) Some traditional herbal medicines, some mycotoxins, naphthalene and styrene. Lyon, International Agency for Research on Cancer, pp 171-274 (IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans, Vol. 82). 

Bisset, N. G. (ed.) (1994) Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals. Boca Raton, FL CRC Press. Blumenthal, M., Busse, W. R., Goldberg, A., Gruenwald, J., Hall, T., Riggins, C. W. and Rister, R. S. (eds) (1998) The Complete German Commission E Monographs Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Austin, TX American Botanical Council. 

Herbal Medicine Expanded Commission E Monographs (Blumenthal, Brinckmann, Goldberg, Integrative Medicine Communication, 2000). 

Although there is limited information regarding the therapeutic efficacy and standards for herbals some resources do exist. The most widely recognized source is the German E Commission E monographs, which contain information on more than 300 herbal products. Other well referenced resources include the American Herbal Pharmacopeia, the British Herbal Pharmacopeia (BHP), the British Herbal Compendium, the European Scientific Cooperative for Phytomedicines (ESCOP), the U.S. Pharmacopeia, and the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Official standards are absolutely necessary to ensure the quality, reliability, and homogeneity of herbal products for consumers. Standardized products are paramount to those in healthcare planning to conduct clinical research with these products. Independent laboratories and university-affiliated research reports have documented the considerable variation that exists in terms of quality and reliability in these products. Abroad, the ESCOP, composed of manufacturers of herbal medicines and herbal associations, is working with European research groups to develop quality-control standards for the production of natural products. This committee is developing monographs for incorporation into such references as the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia and the British Herbal Compendium. 

Likewise, in 1995, the USP commissioned an advisory panel on natural products whose mission was to establish standards and develop information concerning herbal or dietary supplements. Supplement monographs created by this endeavor address various issues associated with the standardization of individual herbals. The following list of section headings outlines the information found in each of the monographs ... 

Drew AK, Whyte IM, Bensoussan A, Dawson AH, Zhu X, Myers SP. Chinese herbal medicine toxicology database monograph on Herba Asari, xi xin. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol 2002 40(2) 169-72. 

Herbal products and animal products are covered in separate monographs. 

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