Pharmacopoeias are reference books that provide pharmaceutical standards and directions for identifying compound medicines. They are published by governments or medical societies. Descriptions of drug preparations are called monographs. Major pharmacopoeias include the British Pharmacopoeia, United States Pharmacopoeia, Japanese Pharmacopoeia, and Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Codexes and formularies also contain lists and information about medicines. National formularies provide approved drug lists and prescribing information for countries. Common formularies include the Bangladesh National Formulary and British National Formulary.

1. Pharmacognosy-I
Drug Literature and Publications

2. Pharmacopoeia- pharmaceutical standards
• Pharmacopoeia, pharmacopeia,
or pharmacopoea (literally, "drug-making"), in
its modern technical sense, is a book containing
directions for the identification of
compound medicines, and published by the
authority of a government or a medical
or pharmaceutical society.
• Descriptions of preparations are
called monographs. In a broader sense it is
a reference work for pharmaceutical drug
specifications.

3. • Until 1617 such drugs and medicines as were in
common use were sold in England by
the apothecaries and grocers. To stop the
inappropriate dispensing the issue of a
pharmacopoeia in May 1618 by the College of
Physicians, London
• Medical Act of 1858 ordained that the General
Medical Council should publish a book
containing a list of medicines and compounds, to
be called theBritish Pharmacopoeia, which would
be a substitute throughout Great Britain and
Ireland for the separate pharmacopoeias.

4. Various pharmacopoeias
• British Pharmacopoeia (BP)
• United States Pharmacopoeia (USP)
• Japanese Pharmacopoeia
• Chinese Pharmacopoeia

5. Codex
• A codex (from the Latin caudex for "trunk of a
tree" or block of wood, book; plural codices) is a
book constructed of a number of sheets
of paper, vellum, papyrus, or similar materials,
with hand-written content.
• The British Pharmaceutical Codex (BPC) was
first published in 1907, to supplement the British
Pharmacopoeia which although extensive, did not
cover all the medicinal items that
a pharmacist might require in daily work.

6. Formulary
• At its most basic level, a formulary is a list
of medicines. Traditionally, a formulary contained
a collection of formulas for the compounding and
testing of medication (a resource closer to what
would be referred to as a pharmacopoeia today).
• Today, the main function of a prescription
formulary is to specify particular medications that are
approved to be prescribed at a particular hospital, in a
particular health system, or under a particular health
insurance policy. The development of prescription
formularies is based on evaluations of efficacy, safety,
and cost-effectiveness of drugs.

7. • Depending on the individual formulary, it may
also contain additional clinical information,
such as side effects, contraindications,
and doses.

8. National Formulary
• A national formulary contains a list of
medicines that are approved
for prescription throughout the country,
indicating which products are
interchangeable. It includes key information
on the composition, description, selection,
prescribing, dispensing and administration of
medicines. Those drugs considered less
suitable for prescribing are clearly identified.

9. Some Formularies :
• Bangladesh National Formulary (BDNF)
• Australian Pharmaceutical Formulary
• British National Formulary
• British National Formulary for Children
• Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission
• Sri Lankan Formulary
• United States National Formulary, since
bought out and merged with the United States
Pharmacopeia

10. Dispensatory
• a book or medicinal formulary containing a
systematic description of the drugs and
preparations used in medicine.