1. Fixation of raw material standards

It is a multi-disciplinary approach covering physico-chemical, pharmacognostical, pharmacological, microbiological and homoeopathic aspects , leading to standard fixation methods and parameters for identification and limits for purities / impurities of raw materials and finished products / manufacturing formulations, details of storage, toxicity etc and such data are released in the Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of India. (Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India Publication). The profession and industry are regularly informed of the laboratory findings. Govt. of India in due course of time is to bring out a Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Codex.

Published data are updated and revised by adding available additional information / new technical findings. For this purpose, dry material is collected even from remote areas of the country, tested and standardized. Animal experimentation is also done, wherever needed.

Standards for allied items like vehicles, reagents, chemicals for tests etc, are also fixed wherever needed along with considerations of new monographs.

The laboratory suggested preliminary standards for mother tinctures which were approved by the Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Committee for inclusion in the Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of India, using following parameters.

Data on medicinal plants and homoeopathic drugs released from other centers in India and abroad, are routinely verified by the laboratory for those data which can be utilized for pharmacopoeial work. The sources cover Universities, Research Institutes and Hospitals. Data on drugs of chemical and other origins, their toxicity and side-effects are also being screened and utilized.

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4. Drug testing of survey samples

The director of the laboratory is notified as Govt. Analyst and the laboratory is functioning as drug testing laboratory at National level for the purpose of homoeopathic drugs This aspect covers drug testing for the purpose of Drugs Act & Rules and analysis of survey samples for standardization studies, pharmacopoeial feed back on adulteration trends, use of new Drugs or formulations for working out effective standards, for their controls.

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5. Drug testing of referred samples

The laboratory is testing samples received from the Ministry of Health, Central Government Health Scheme, State Governments etc. Samples from manufacturers / buyers are also tested on payment of the prescribed fees as given in the Schedule B of Drugs & Cosmetics Act / Rules.

Standard samples are prepared for supplying to other Govt. departments / Laboratories / Hospitals engaged in research or drug-testing or scientist working in the field. It is also prepared for consumptive use and for comparative studies.

The laboratory maintains a herbarium, where medicinal plant are preserved. It covers both indigenous and exotic drugs. It also has a good collection of medicinal plants used by tribals of North-East and northern Himalayan region.

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8. Collection of medicinal plants

The laboratory conducts survey-cum-collection tours of different regions of India to collect authentic samples of drugs. Collection is done even from remote and Himalayan regions. It has also covered regions like Keylong (Lahul-Spiti); Ani, Kumarsen and Sarahan (Himachal Pradesh); Bomdilla, Tawang & Khonsa (Arunachal Pradesh); Kedarnath, Badrinath and Valley of flowers (Utter Pradesh). During the course of collection tours, plants are collected, dried and photographed for further inspection studies.

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9. Museum

Museum of Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Laboratory has a rich collection of rare and exotic medicinal plants used in Homoeopathy. It also has several hundred medicinal plants used in other systems of medicine or folklore drugs, collected from inaccessible northern and North eastern Himalayan states of India. It also has good collection of minerals, chemicals and certain species of animals having medicinal value. The other unique features of the museum is that it has good collection of photographs of medicinal plants used in Homoeopathy.

Addition of samples to the museum is done only after proper identification and authentication by qualified scientists. Scientific methods are adopted to preserve them for comparative studies.

The laboratory maintains an experimental medicinal plants garden in approximately five acres of land, adjoining the laboratory itself in Kamla Nehru Nagar, Ghaziabad. Efforts are being made to grow medicinal plants of Homoeopathic importance at one place. One of the assigned objects is maintenance of herb garden. Medicinal plant garden of HPL has very good collection of medicinal plants both of indigenous and exotic origin used in homoeopathy. Medicinal plants grown here are used for experimental and standardization studies.

Laboratory is having a Germ Plasm Bank where it has preserved germ plasm and live seeds collected not only from its own experimental medicinal plants garden but from various other countries. For this purpose a liaison is being maintained with medicinal plants gardens from around the world.

Methodology for preparation of nosode (a group of potent homoeopathic drugs made from micro-organisms, viruses, clinical materials and diseased tissues) has been released in HPI Vol. IV, which also contains standards of this category of drugs. It has a Nosode Bank with rare nosodes.

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13. Reference standard bank

The laboratory's micro-control technique covers TLC, UV, & IR, Spectroscopy, AAS, GLC and HPLC methods. For comparative work, reference standards of active principles and drug extracts (tinctures) are being maintained. Efforts are being made to enrich the RS-bank. Estimated number of these may be in the order of one thousand.

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14. Publication of preliminary standard

The laboratory lays down preliminary standard annually on 25 drugs which after approval from Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Committee, are included in the Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of India.

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15. Library, Documentation and Publication Cell

The laboratory is subscribing 36 journals. In addition, the library has valuable books and it is also receiving complimentary copies of a few journals. They are recorded. They help in providing the latest development in different fields. The literature is also screened for the purpose of abstract relevant and suitable information for pharmacopoeial work.

"Abstracting data services" on homoeopathic medicinal plants and drugs are taken up by this section. A computer based documentation cell is also functioning. Work on data collection and classification has started and 4500 files related to different drugs are maintained.

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16. Orientation training programmes

The laboratory organizes orientation training programmes for manufacturers, manufacturing chemists, pharmacist, Principals of homoeopathic medical colleges, Drugs Inspectors, Drug Analysts, and Drugs Controllers.

It orients them to homoeopathic drug control problems, analytical   management of micro dilutions and offers an opportunity for   interactive discussion on the   problems    faced  at the State Government

laboratories. Students of Homoeopathic colleges from all over India visit the laboratory for acquainting / learning pharmaceutical / pharmacognostic procedures in testing the homoeopathic drugs. This is a regular features.

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17. Exhibition / Seminars

The laboratory accepts invitation to participate in All India level exhibitions related to homoeopathy as a measure of disbursement of information and for projection of the work. It also encourages its scientists to participate in conferences and seminars. The laboratory has so far participated in many National and International exhibitions and conferences.

Officers of the laboratory are often awarded WHO fellowship and study tours. These interaction help to abreast with modern technology. A good number of foreign delegates usually visit the laboratory. The laboratory has recently participated in Medicinal Plants Expo-2003 held at KOCHI, Kerala.

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18. Screening of formulations

All references on new homoeopathic formulations received from Ministry of Health and other departments of Government of India, State Government and their allied organizations for expert opinion are being made to curb irrational formulations.

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19. Scientific publications

In course of research oriented work, scientists come across new findings. Depending upon the potentiality of such findings and their possibility of importance for others, they are released in appropriate scientific journals.