Book Review African Herbal Pharmacopoeia Eds: T. Brendler, J. N. Eloff, A. Gurib‐Fakim, L. D. Phillips Publisher: Association for African Medicinal Plants Standards (AAMPS), 2010 ISBN 978‐99903‐89‐09‐8, pp. 289, price US$125.00 One of the great obstacles to the use of medicinal plants of African origin is the problem of their quality control. The use of high quality raw materials, authenticated and free from contamination, is essential to ensure the safety of patients using herbal medicines, whether locally or for export, and to produce characterized extracts for modern herbal products which can be registered in European and other Western countries. This problem is widely recognized: ‘Although sub‐Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands contain approximately 60000 plant species – roughly a quarter of the world’s total – only 83 of the world’s 1100 leading commercial medicinal plants are African in origin. This situation will not change unless Africa, like India and China, prepares internationally recognized medicinal plant standards’ ‐ Professor Kobus Eloff, Head of the Phytomedicine Programme, University of Pretoria, Republic of South Africa. This pharmacopoeia has been produced in response to that need. It is the work of over 30 experts in the area, and contains essential information on 51 of Africa’s most important medicinal plants. Signiﬁcantly, most of these plants have never previously been the subject of quality control monographs, despite the global importance of some of them, for example Cryptolepis sanguinolenta, Hoodia gordonii, Hypoxis hemerocallidae, Kigelia africana, Pelargonium sidioides, Prunus africana and Sutherlandia frutescens, to name but a few. The monographs give the botanical description of the plant, with microscopical details if available, together with the origin and distribution, ethnobotanical information, chemical constituents and structures, and methods of quality control. Thin‐layer, liquid and gas chromatography methods are given where possible and illustrations of separations are given, as are NIR spectra. The pharmacological proﬁle includes clinical studies and is well referenced, and safety data are included, together with indications, adverse effects and special precautions if appropriate. Trade information, including the nature of the plant material, its conservation status and storage conditions (even the price, in some cases), is a very valuable addition and something not often included in such texts. The book will be welcomed by everyone working with African medicinal plants, and is indispensible for all those importing, selling, manufacturing or prescribing any of these materials. Elizabeth Williamson University of Reading, Berkshire, UK PHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH Phytother. Res. (2011) Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/ptr.3429 Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

African Herbal Pharmacopoeia Eds: T. Brendler, J. N. Eloff, A. Gurib-Fakim, L. D. Phillips Publisher: Association for African Medicinal Plants Standards (AAMPS), 2010 ISBN 978-99903-89-09-8,

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Page 1: African Herbal Pharmacopoeia Eds: T. Brendler, J. N. Eloff, A. Gurib-Fakim, L. D. Phillips Publisher: Association for African Medicinal Plants Standards (AAMPS), 2010 ISBN 978-99903-89-09-8,

PHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCHPhytother. Res. (2011)Published online in Wiley Online Library(wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/ptr.3429

Book Review

African Herbal PharmacopoeiaEds: T. Brendler, J. N. Eloff, A.Gurib‐Fakim, L.D. PhillipsPublisher: Association for African Medicinal PlantsStandards (AAMPS), 2010ISBN 978‐99903‐89‐09‐8, pp. 289, price US$125.00

One of the great obstacles to the use of medicinal plantsof African origin is the problem of their quality control.The use of high quality raw materials, authenticated andfree from contamination, is essential to ensure the safetyof patients using herbal medicines, whether locally or forexport, and to produce characterized extracts formodern herbal products which can be registered inEuropean and other Western countries. This problem iswidely recognized: ‘Although sub‐SaharanAfrica and theIndian Ocean Islands contain approximately 60000 plantspecies – roughly a quarter of the world’s total – only 83 ofthe world’s 1100 leading commercial medicinal plants areAfrican in origin. This situation will not change unlessAfrica, like India and China, prepares internationallyrecognized medicinal plant standards’ ‐ ProfessorKobus Eloff, Head of the Phytomedicine Programme,University of Pretoria, Republic of South Africa.This pharmacopoeia has been produced in response

to that need. It is the work of over 30 experts in thearea, and contains essential information on 51 ofAfrica’s most important medicinal plants. Significantly,most of these plants have never previously been the

subject of quality control monographs, despite theglobal importance of some of them, for exampleCryptolepis sanguinolenta, Hoodia gordonii, Hypoxishemerocallidae, Kigelia africana, Pelargonium sidioides,Prunus africana and Sutherlandia frutescens, to namebut a few.

The monographs give the botanical description of theplant, with microscopical details if available, togetherwith the origin and distribution, ethnobotanical infor-mation, chemical constituents and structures, andmethods of quality control. Thin‐layer, liquid and gaschromatography methods are given where possible andillustrations of separations are given, as are NIRspectra. The pharmacological profile includes clinicalstudies and is well referenced, and safety data areincluded, together with indications, adverse effects andspecial precautions if appropriate.

Trade information, including the nature of the plantmaterial, its conservation status and storage conditions(even the price, in some cases), is a very valuableaddition and something not often included in such texts.The book will be welcomed by everyone working withAfrican medicinal plants, and is indispensible for allthose importing, selling, manufacturing or prescribingany of these materials.

Elizabeth WilliamsonUniversity of Reading,

Berkshire, UK