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A variety of algorithms, forms and other clinical aids that relate to articles that appeared in the May 2, 2002 issue of "Points to Consider on Good Agricultural and Collection Practice for Starting Materials of Herbal Origin" are presented.

Chapter 4 of the book "WHO guidelines on good agricultural and collection practices (GACP) for medicinal plants" is presented. It focuses on the common technical aspects of good agricultural practices for medicinal plants and good collection practices for medicinal plants. It discusses the various inspection needed for medicinal plant materials which includes visual inspection for cross-contamination, visual inspection for foreign matter and organoleptic evaluation.

Chapter 3 of the book "WHO guidelines on good agricultural and collection practices (GACP) for medicinal plants" is presented. It describes the general strategies and basic methods for small- and large-scale collection of fresh medicinal plant materials. It discusses the management plans for collection that provide a framework for setting sustainable harvest levels. It also emphasizes the appropriate collection practices that are suitable for each medicinal plant species and plant part used.

Chapter 2 of the book "WHO guidelines on good agricultural and collection practices (GACP) for medicinal plants" is presented. It discusses general guidelines on good agricultural practices for medicinal plants. It describes general principles and provides technical details for the cultivation of medicinal plants. It also emphasizes the identification and authentication of cultivated medicinal plants.

Chapter 1 of the book "WHO guidelines on good agricultural and collection practices (GACP) for medicinal plants" is presented. It discusses the traditional systems of herbal medicines that increases in both developed and developing countries. It also provided general technical guidance on obtaining medicinal plant materials of good quality for the sustainable production of herbal products classified as medicines.

Chapter 6 of the book "WHO Expert Committee on Specifications for Pharmaceutical Preparations" is presented. It discusses the quality assurance for good manufacturing practices including the concept of sampling starting materials, heating, ventilation, and airconditioning. It also highlights the quality assurance of manufacturing herbal medicines, validation, water for pharmaceutical use.

Chapter 5 of the book "WHO guidelines on good agricultural and collection practices (GACP) for medicinal plants" is presented. It focuses on the cultivation, collection and harvesting of medicinal plants as well as the post-harvest processing of medicinal plant materials. It describes the legal and environmental requirements and the ethical codes and norms of the community and country in which the activities take place. It emphasizes the provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

The article discusses the case of Mary, a client of Tanga Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Working Group (TAWG) in Tanzania. The relationship of Mary with his husband is discussed. She was diagnosed with human-immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by a nurse from TAWG. The benefits of herbal medicine on the health condition of Mary are also cited.

The article profiles Mohammed Kasomo, a traditional healer who works with Tanga Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Working Group (TAWG) in Tanzania. Kasomo works as the sole supplier of herbal medicines at TAWG. The common AIDS infections that were treated by herbal medicines of Kasomo include chronic diarrhoea, herpes zoster and oral thrush.

The article profiles Eunice Odongo, a home-based care coordinator and herbal nurse at Woman Fighting Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in Kenya (WOFAK). After delivering a baby boy, she was diagnosed as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive in 1996. Some of the tasks of Odongo at WOFAK are cited such as organizing the training of traditional healers and leading the herbal medicine project.