Five new monographs for herbal standards have become official in the 6th supplement to the European Pharmacopoeia, 4th edition, and will be implemented by January 1, 2004, at the latest. The new monographs include the following (noted in their U.S. common names, with the European Union monograph name in brackets and Latin binomials in parenthesis):
• Belladonna leaf tincture, standardized (Atropa belladonna L.)
• Goldenrod, European (Solidago virgaurea L.)
• Milk thistle fruit [Milk-thistle fruit] (Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.)
• St. John'wort for homeopathic preparations [Hypericum for homeopathic preparations] (Hypericum perforatum L.)
• Sweet orange oil (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck)
Also, several existing herbal monographs have been technically revised since their last publication; the revisions to be implemented on January 1, 2004:
• Chamomile flower, German/Hungarian [Matricaria flower] (Matricaria recutita L.)
• Dog rose (Rosa canina L.)
• Eleuthero [Eleutherococcus] (Eleutherococcus senticosus (Rupr. & Maxim.) Maxim.)
• Eucalyptus oil (Eucalyptus globulus Labill.)
• Gentian root (Gentiana lutea L.) and Gentian tincture
• Ipecac [Ipecacuanha] liquid extract, standardized (Cephaëlis acuminata Karsten or Cephaëlis ipecacuanha (Brot.) A. Rich.) and Ipecacuanha tincture, standardized
• Kelp [formerly listed as Fucus] (Fucus vesiculosus L. or F. serratus L. or Ascophyllum nodosum Le Jolis)
• Peppermint oil (Mentha x piperita L.)
A few other herbal monographs have had corrections made which are to be taken into account from the publication date of European Pharmacopoeia Supplement 4.6:
• Bitter-orange flower (Citrus aurantium L. ssp. aurantium)
• Oregano (Origanum onites L. or O. vulgare L. ssp. hirtum (Link) Ietswaart)
• Plantain, English [Ribwort Plantain] (Plantago lanceolata L.)
• Tolu balsam (Myroxylon balsamum (L.) Harms)
The monographs in the European Pharmacopoeia represent the collective consensus of leading phytomedicinal experts and regulatory authorities in the European Union countries, and often contain different standards for identity and purity than standards monographs issued by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). For more information on the European Pharmacopoeia, visit <www.pheur.org>. To obtain copies of the new European Pharmacopoeia monographs, price lists and order forms are online at: <www.pheur.org/site/pricelist.php3>.
For more information on the United Nation's Market News Service for Medicinal Plants & Extracts, please visit <www.p-maps.org/mns/medplants.php> or e-mail <brink@sonic.net>.
-Josef Brinckmann
[Source: Brinckmann J. (ed.). Market News Service for Medicinal Plants & Extracts. June 2003, Number 7. Geneva: International Trade Centre/UNCTAD.]