A series of volumes, the WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants aims to: provide scientific information on the safety, efficacy, and quality control of widely used medicinal plants; provide models to assist Member States in developing their own monographs or formularies for these and other herbal medicines; and facilitate information exchange among Member States. WHO monographs, however, are not pharmacopoeial monographs, rather they are comprehensive scientific references for drug regulatory authorities, physicians, traditional health practitioners, pharmacists, manufacturers, research scientists and the general public.

Each monograph follows a standard format with information presented in two parts followed by a reference list. The first part presents pharmacopoeial summaries for quality assurance. The second part includes sections on medicinal uses, pharmacology, safety issues, and dosage forms. The descriptions under the medicinal uses section merely represent, for purposes of information exchange, the systematic collection of scientific information available at the time of each volume’s preparation and should not be taken as having WHO’s official endorsement or approval.

Volume 1 contains 28 monographs published in 1999. Volume 2, published in 2003 includes 30 monographs. Volume 3 in this series was published in 2007 and includes 31 monographs. Volume 4, which was published in 2009, includes 28 monographs.

Each volume after Volume 1 has a general technical notice and two cumulative indexes to facilitate referencing; one lists the monographs in alphabetical order by plant name and the other according to the plant material of interest.

• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• General technical notices
• Monographs (in alphabetical order of plant name)
  • Fructus Ammi Majoris
  • Fructus Ammi Visnagae
  • Fructus Anethi
  • Aetheroleum Anisi
  • Fructus Anisi
  • Semen Armenicae
  • Flos Arnicae
  • Folium Azadirachti
  • Oleum Azadirachti
  • Flos Carthami
  • Stigma Croci
  • Fructus Foeniculi
  • Radix Gentianae Luteae
  • Radix Gentianae Scabrae
  • Gummi Gugguli
  • Radix Harpagophyti
  • Rhizoma Hydrastis
  • Radix Ipecacuanhae
  • Aetheroleum Lavandulae
  • Flos Lavandulae
  • Strobilus Lupuli
  • Gummi Myrrha
  • Herba Passiflorae
  • Testa Plantiginis
  • Radix Rehmanniae
  • Fructus Schisandrae
  • Radix Scutellariae
  • Radix cum Herba Taraxaci
  • Semen Trigonellae Foenugraeci
  • Cortex Uncariae
  • Fructus Zizyphi
• Annex 1: Participants in the Third WHO Consultation on Selected Medicinal Plants, The Governmental Conference Centre, Ottawa, Canada, 16–19 July, 2001
• Annex 2: Cumulative index (in alphabetical order of plant name)
• Annex 3: Cumulative index (in alphabetical order of plant material of interest)