Atlas of Macroscopic & Microscopic Characters of Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeial Drugs: Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India (Part-1, Volume-1)

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The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India. Part-1 Voll is a legal document of Standards for the quality of single Drugs Included therein (under the Drug and Cosmetic Act, 1940) and comprises of 80 monographs on single drugs of plant Origin "Allas of Macroscopic and Microscopic Characters of Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeial drugs is a companion volume of Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part-I, Vol. 1 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 Atlas of Macroscopic and Microscopic Characters of Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeial Drugs.

The first volume of Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India (Part-1) was published by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India in the year 1989. It contained monographs on eighty Single Ayurvedic Drugs in a descriptive form.
The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia Committee responsible for laying down standards for Pharmacopoeia has also planned companion volumes in the form of photograph of drugs and drawings of diagnostic features used for identity and purity as specified in each monograph. The companion volume is entitled as "Atlas of Macroscopic and Microscopic Characters of Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeial Drugs", Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part-I, Vol.-I. This Atlas contains macroscopic and microscopic characters of each of single Ayurvedic drugs included in the first volumes of Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India (Part-I).
I place on records my appreciation for the efforts put in by the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia Committee in bringing out this publication in a user friendly manner.
I am sure that the Atlas will help to ensure the quality of ayurvedic drugs.

As a part of the ambitious and time consuming programme of the Ministry of Health and 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-il, 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 both the single and formulated 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 complied a set of photographs, macroscopic and microscopic drawings of the drug material appearing in the Volume I 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 the Volume of Part-ll of the API 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 those crude drugs included in Volume I of Part-1, and the illustrations represent the diagnostic features described in the monographs therein. They are made 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 lustrations 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 Ayurvedic Sciences, New Delhi, and while several of them may lack artistic appeal, accuracy of detail has not been neglected.