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In general, the criteria for the selection of species for the databases, from the master lists, were largely based on a survey of literature and application of the criteria suggested by UNIDO and WHO (Penso, 1980; Bannerman, 1983; Farnsworth, 1983;) and by Oliver-Bever (1986), because it is these criteria that would form the basis for selecting plants for actual use at the time developing medicines, later on.
CRITERIA OF UNIDO AND WHO
a) the drug product derived from plants should be safe and effective judged from its wide
use in the developing countries;b) the plant should be growing extensively in the wild or easy to cultivate;
c) there should be scientific evidence to suggest that a useful drug can be developed, from the concerned plants, with preferably the existing or easily developed technologies with an export potential; and
d) the costs of the drug products derived from plants and treatment should be competitive with synthetic drugs of the same therapeutic category, promising economic production, at least in the long run.
CRITERIA OF OLIVER-BEVER (1986)
a) the plant should be the only one or among the few used in the treatment of a particular disease;
b) the plant should be in common use;
c) the plant should be less toxic than the other existing drugs; and
d) the plant should have the possibilities of production of the drug cheaper than those in use.
There is some overlap between the two sets of criteria, and also it is not always possible to find plants that meet all the recommendations. Besides, one of our objectives is to find new species or, new or extended uses for species already in use.
We are aware that the choice of the species for the databases cannot be absolute. Another worker may choose some other species or some more species and leave out some. Nevertheless, the majority of the species in the database would be invariable.