officinal

Officinal describes substances used in medicine that are officially listed in pharmacopoeias and prepared or sold by apothecaries. The word derives from Latin officinalis, meaning pertaining to the officina, the workshop or shop where medicines were prepared. In medieval and early modern Europe, apothecaries organized their stock around official catalogs, and items in these catalogs were called officinal, distinguishing them from medicines not officially sanctioned.

In botany and pharmacognosy, the epithet officinalis was commonly attached to plant species with established medicinal use or inclusion in a pharmacopoeia. An example is Digitalis officinalis, historically used to denote the foxglove as an official medicinal plant. Over time, taxonomic names have changed, but the historical association between the term officinalis and recognized medicinal status remains a reference point in older texts.

Modern usage of officinal is largely historical, though the underlying concept persists. Pharmacopoeias such as the United States Pharmacopoeia and the European Pharmacopoeia designate monographs for official drugs, and substances meeting those standards may be described as officinal or pharmacopoeial. In herbal medicine and historical discussions, officinal may be used to distinguish official, cataloged herbs and preparations from those that are unlisted, experimental, or non-official. Overall, officinal reflects the traditional linkage between pharmacy, official standards, and medicinal plant material.