title: The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, development and perspectives.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India (API) is a unique book of standards describing the quality, purity and strength of selected drugs that are manufactured, distributed, and sold by the licensed manufacturers in pan India. It is developed in two parts; the part one comprises of mono-monographs of medicinal substances of natural origin and part two includes selected compound formulations sourced from the schedule - I books under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 comprising of popular Ayurvedic classics of different period of times. The first part of the Ayurvedic Formulary of India was published in 1978 and thereafter, the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India (mono-monograph) Part-I, Vol. I was published in the year 1989 and subsequently, the other volumes were published with their legalized status under Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The study was aimed to bring out the existing knowledge on the Ayurvedic pharmacopoeia with its chronological development reviewed from the ancient Vedic Compendia with its continuum in Ayurvedic classics of different period of time till recent past.
  
  
  METHODS
  A literary search based on the ancient origin of Ayurveda was carried out. The drug making from the natural resources and utility of the knowledge exist in classical Ayurvedic works of different period of time till composition of the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India and its importance as official documents of Govt. of India for Standards of Ayurvedic Drugs and its perspectives have been discussed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The present paper reviews on the systemic development and different aspects of drug-making (Pharmacopoeia) with evidence lying in the 5000 years old work of India. During the systematic review of the various works of different period of times (ancient, medieval and modern), it was found that the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India has its development during 20th Century as an official document of Govt. of India comprising of single drugs monograph and compound formulations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In India, the development of the Indian Pharmacopoeia started in 20th Century on the recommendation of the Col. R.N. Chopra Committee and in 1978 the first part of the Ayurvedic formulary of India was published. Subsequently, the amendment in the drugs and cosmetics Act 1940 was brought in 1964 for regulation of the drugs in Indian Systems of Medicine (Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha). Later on the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India (Mono-Monograph) Part-I, Volume I, was published in the year 1989 and the other volumes were published subsequently in different years.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dravyaguna, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India. Electronic address: joshivkvns@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Vinod Kumar
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutics, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi 221005, India.
authors.forename: Apurva
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.affiliation: Central Council of Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, Jawahar Lal Nehru Bhartiya Chikitsa Evam Homoeopathy Anusandhan Bhawan, No. 61-65, Institutional Area, Janakpuri, New Delhi 110058, India.
authors.forename: Kartar Singh
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Dhiman
mesh_terms: D001877:Books; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical / Q000379:methods*; D055808:Drug Discovery / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008515:Medicine, Ayurvedic
keywords: Ayurveda; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia; Charaka Samhita; Drug-making; Susruta Samhita; Veda