Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of India or H.P.I is the official book of standards of Homeopathic medicine. Ten volumes consisting of standard for drugs have already been published by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Government of India), compiled by the Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Committee. In the course of compiling the HPI, the Indian Pharmacopoeia, the American Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia, the British Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia, the Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States and the German Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia are consulted.
Prepared by: Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Committee
Published by: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India
Legal status: HPI is included in the Second Schedule of Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940
Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Committee
The proposal to set up a Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Committee was initiated by the Homoeopathic Advisory Committee in the year 1956. The Government of India constituted Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Committee Sarkar in September 1962 under the Chairmanship of Dr. B.K.Sarkar.
The functions of the Committee were:
a) To prepare a Pharmacopoeia of Homoeopathic drugs, whose therapeutic usefulness has been proved, on the lines of the American, German and British Pharmacopoeias;
b) To lay down principles and standards for the preparation of homoeopathic drugs;
c) To lay down tests for identity, quality and purity; and
d) Such other matters as are incidental and necessary for the preparation of a homoeopathic pharmacopoeia
Functions of the Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Committee were further enlarged by the Ministry also to prepare:
- A pharmaceutical codex in order to give such detailed information on drugs which are normally not given in pharmacopoeias e.g., constituents, uses etc and
- To prepare standards on nosodes.
Various volumes of HPI
Volumes Year of Publications Monographs
Volume I 1971 180 drugs
Volume II 1974 100 drugs
Volume III 1978 105 drugs
Volume IV 1984 107 drugs
Volume V 1986 114 drugs
Volume VI 1990 104 drugs
Volume VII 1999 105 drugs
Volume VIII 2000 101 drugs
Volume IX 2006 100 drugs
Volume X 2013 101 drugs The Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Committee was constituted in Sept, 1962, on the recommendation of the Homoeopathic Advisory Committee and Homoeopathic Sub-committee of the Drug Technical Advisory Board, on the question of control of homoeopathic drugs under The Drugs and Cosmetics Act., 1940, and Rules 1945. The homoeopathic drugs are prepared mainly from plants, animals, and minerals. For this purpose, the committee has experts from Chemistry, Botany and Pharmacology branches besides manufacturers of medicines and Homoeopathic practitioners as well as officials who are concerned with the work of testing and research in drugs. H.P.I. is included in the second Schedule of ‘Drugs and Cosmetic Act-1940’.We in India used to follow the H.P.U.S. upto 1971 because there was no separate book of our own. The Indian manufacturers are legally bound to manufacture Homoeopathic medicines as per standards and methodology given in the Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of India. If the standards of some drugs are not included in the Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of India, manufacturers are free to undertake manufacturing as per any recognised Pharmacopoeia of the other countries like the German Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia (GHP), United States Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia (HPUS), British Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia (BHP) and French Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia etc.
REFERENCES
- A Textbook of Homoeopathic Pharmacy by Mandal and Mandal.
- Art and Science of Homoeopathic Pharmacy by Dr. Sumit Goel.
Dr. Sajib Rudra Paul
BHMS, MD (Part 1)
Department of Homoeopathic Pharmacy.
Father Muller Homoeopathic Medical College
Deralakatte, Mangaluru – 575018
Email : [email protected]
