Volume I - Abel Moscus - Dulcamara
Volume II - Eberthinum - Ozonum
Volume III - Paeonia officinalis - Zingiber
Printed in India

PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION

We have been working on this book for the last ten years. Pressed by the urgent need of the profession it was published in phases. Volume one contained 697 drugs, which are frequently used by homoeopaths in India, and some legal guidelines were present on some parameters in Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of India (HPI). Volume two contained the lesser known 713 drugs used in India and other countries. Much of the data in volume two was abstracted from the Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of USA (HPUS) and German Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia (GHP). However a few still lesser known and rare medicines which were in demand were omitted. Also recently proved new drugs were absent. Hence we decided to revise the previous two volumes and add approximately 450 new drugs. The information on them are from classical literatures as well as recent publications, the so called new generation of books and journals. Pharmacopoeias as old as 1890 B&T and the new revision series of HPUS were also consulted.

In the efforts we have achieved a comprehensive encyclopaedia with pharmaceutical aspects of the homoeopathic medicines in priority.

Since the book is referred in other countries as well, we have reproduced the preparation aspects being followed by HPUS and GHP relevant to the drugs included in them in addition to HPI. For easy reference and authentic co-relation many appendices have been included. These will serve as quick relevant references.

Growing acceptance of homoeopathy has led to large scale manufacture of medicines. Guidelines for equipment, space, GMP & validation have been included to serve this segment.
The pursuit of knowledge and excellence is not static but dynamic; better each time is our objective. Excellence in quality is not a destination but a journey. As days pass we come across new and better medicines. God willing we may revise in future the text so that you may have another latest edition by 2005 incorporating the drugs being worked on now.

January, 2002 P. N. Varma Indu Vaid