สารบัญ

     Humans have known to utilize plants, animals and minerals around them to prevent and treat a myriad of ailments since pre-historic times. Likewise, traditional practices and herbal drugs have been used for thousands of years around the globe. It is believed that most of the world’s population relies on traditional medicine and herbal drugs for primary health care, either through expert healers or home remedies. The coming of knowledge and the practice of modern medicine for which there is more evidence regarding its safety and efficacy has made the role of traditional medicine slowly fade away.
        However, over recent decades, the roles of traditional practices and herbal drugs are being revived globally. This is due to several potential reasons‒there is now increased scientific evidence of their safety and efficacy, gained from research studies, and more authoritative regulation of both herbal drugs and their preparations, as well as the fact that people have started to seek healing alternatives for certain diseases that modern drugs are unable to treat, especially diseases that require lifelong pharmaceutical medications and thus raise safety concerns. In Thailand, an increasing number of healthcare facilities have incorporated traditional and herbal medicine into their mainstream healthcare since 1982. This was subsequently emphasized by the Fourth National Drug Policy of 2011 which focused on “national self-reliance”, whereby Thailand has been blessed with the wisdom of traditional medicine and a variety of medicinal plants. Such policy can benefit Thailand’s economy in cutting down on imports of modern drugs.
       Recently, more and more evidence on the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes has been brought to light as an alternative therapy for some conditions for which effective treatments are scarce or unavailable. In 2019, the Food and Drug Administration encouraged the use of medicinal cannabis by issuing the Narcotics Act (No. 7) B.E. 2562, allowing the use of cannabis for treatment of certain diseases under the supervision of trained and licensed physicians and traditional healers, as well as to allow regulated plantation of cannabis for medicinal purposes. Therefore, the most recent edition of the Thai Herbal Pharmacopoeia (THP 2021) not only compiled the 99 previously published monographs of the THP 2020, but added 8 new monographs of herbal drugs and herbal drug preparations, and also features the monograph of Cannabis. Furthermore, monographs of Cannabis Extract and Cannabis Sublingual Drops from the Thai Pharmacopoeia II Volume I Part 1 Supplement 2020 were reproduced to improve ease of use for the new Thai Herbal Pharmacopoeia (THP 2021).
       In terms of quality, efficacy and safety, the Department of Medical Sciences, Ministry of Public Health as a national laboratory responsible for analysis and quality assurance of health products and a Collaborating Center for Cannabis Testing Laboratories, was entrusted with standard setting and publishing of the THP 2021.
       The publication provides the national standards for ensuring the quality, safety and efficacy of herbal drugs and herbal drug preparations, including Cannabis for medicinal use in Thailand, as well as encouraging domestic research, production, and utilization of medical cannabis, enabling the country’s self-reliance and sustainable health care.  
       As always, the work carried out for the THP 2021 is of high scientific quality and involved collaboration among six subcommittees under the supervision of the Thai Pharmacopoeia Committee responsible for the preparation of monographs for both herbal drugs and herbal drug preparations, together with the appendices and other necessary information.  The six subcommittees include the Subcommittee on the Establishment of the Thai Herbal Pharmacopoeia, the Subcommittee on the Pharmacognostic and Botanic Specifications forthe Thai Herbal Monographs, the Subcommittee on Physico-chemical Specifications and Safety for the Thai Herbal Monographs, the Subcommittee on Standards for Thai Herbal Drug Preparations, the Subcommittee on Standards and Analytical Methods, and the Subcommittee on Editorial Style.
       The THP is one of the achievements of the Thai Pharmacopoeia Committee. On behalf of the Department of Medical Sciences, the Committee and its affiliated Subcommittees wish to express their deep gratitude to the generous assistance and technical support from various contributors, government agencies, academic institutions and other organizations, particularly the Botanical Garden Organization, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Research Office, the Government Pharmaceutical Organization, Chiang Mai University Faculty of Pharmacy, Chulalongkorn University Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kasetsart University Faculty of Sciences, Khon Kaen University Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mahasarakham University Faculty of Medicine, and Srinakharinwirot University Faculty of Pharmacy, and those individuals who have provided comments and advice and shared their time and expertise. This publication would not have been possible without their outpouring of support and contribution.