The Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) organized a one-day Awareness Programme on “Pharmacopoeial Parameters of ASU&H” on November 18, 2025. The event was held under the Regional Raw Drug Repository (RRDR) – Gangetic Plain Region project, which is funded by the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of Ayush.
The program focused on the critical role of raw drug quality in ensuring the safety and efficacy of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, and Homoeopathy (ASU&H) systems.
Key Highlights and Initiatives
NMPB Initiatives
The CEO of NMPB highlighted the collaboration between NMPB and the National Physical Laboratory to develop the Bhartiya Nirdeshak Dravya for ASU&H drugs. He also commended PCIM&H for establishing thematic medicinal plant gardens with QR-code enabled databases.
PCIM&H Repository
The Principal Scientific Officer presented an overview of the Gangetic Plain RRDR project activities. She informed that PCIM&H is currently maintaining 523 authentic raw drug samples and nearly 1,000 herbarium specimens representing 218 species of ASU&H drugs in its repository.
Global Acceptance
The Former Associate Director, DRDR acknowledged the growing global acceptance of ASU&H medicines and the pivotal role of PCIM&H in establishing pharmacopoeial and formulary standards.
Training and Technical Sessions
The program included technical sessions and hands-on training for the approximately 60 participants from various institutions, including Jamia Hamdard University, All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), and several colleges in the Delhi/Ghaziabad region.
Technical sessions covered specialized topics:
- “Taxonomical Identification of Medicinal Plants”.
- “Identification of Raw Drugs by Pharmacognostic Parameters”.
- “Quality Control and Quality Assessment of Traditional Medicines”.
- “Microbial Analysis of ASU&H Drugs”.
Following the lectures, participants received hands-on training in the Pharmacognosy, Chemistry, and Microbiology laboratories, with demonstrations of key instruments used for standardization and quality control. Exposure visits were also organized to the Herbal Gardens, Regional Raw Drug Repository, and the Seed Bank.