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of their physical characteristics, particularly of dried herbs. More recently,
some excellent updated herb monographs have been compiled by
professional clinical practitioners that include safety information such as
contraindications and potential side effects, alongside extensive listings of
research papers.

Plant monographs can be found in several pharmacopoeias (a book
published by the authority of a government or a medical or pharmaceutical
society describing drugs, chemicals, and medicinal preparations) such as
European, British, United States, Indian and Egyptian pharmacopoeias. An
official drug is one that is listed and described as being a definite
therapeutic agent in the Pharmacopoeia. Substances that have not been
recognized in the Pharmacopoeia are designated as unofficial drugs. There
is also WHO (World Health Organization) monographs. WHO
monographs, however, are not pharmacopoeial monographs, rather they
are comprehensive scientific references for drug regulatory authorities,
physicians, traditional health practitioners, pharmacists, manufacturers,
research scientists and the general public. Each WHO monograph follows
a standard format with information presented in two parts followed by a
reference list. The first part presents pharmacopoeial summaries for quality
assurance. The second part includes sections on medicinal uses,
pharmacology, safety issues, and dosage forms.

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