Introduction to Pharmacognosy

The study of plants, animals, and minerals used as medicine, including their biological, chemical, and therapeutic properties. It covers the history, distribution, collection, processing, and preservation of these natural sources.

The use of plants for medicine dates back to ancient times, with early humans likely discovering medicinal properties through trial and error.

Raw materials from plants, animals, or minerals used in traditional medicine

Pharmacognosy traces its history back to the earliest uses of natural substances for healing, long before modern medicine.

The use of plants as medicine by early civilizations in places like China, India, Egypt, and Greece.

Provides the raw materials for medicines, food, clothing, and shelter, and serves as a storehouse of useful remedies.

Medicinal substances extracted from plants and other sources in their raw form, without any processing.

The study of medicinal materials, originally referring to plants, animals, and minerals used for healing.

A medieval belief that the shape or appearance of a plant indicates its medicinal use for a particular ailment, its 'signature'.

The study of natural drug sources, including their chemical composition, biological properties, historical uses, and modern applications.

The act of replacing a valuable ingredient with a cheaper or ineffective substitute, often in crude drugs.

An ancient Indian system of medicine combining lifestyle, diet, herbal remedies, and more for holistic health.

An ancient Chinese book of herbal remedies, containing entries for specific drugs based on the days of the year.

Ancient Ayurvedic medical textbooks outlining the theoretical and practical aspects of healthcare.

A branch of science that studies drugs derived from natural sources (plants, animals, and minerals), and other substances used in medicine, like synthetic sutures.

Plants used to treat illness or injuries.

The specific components of a drug that produce the therapeutic effect.

The process of separating and identifying the active components from natural substances, like plants.

An official list of drugs and their standards for quality, purity, and strength.

An active principle isolated from opium poppy, used as a medicine.

An active principle isolated from Cinchona bark, used to treat malaria.

Modified forms of naturally occurring drugs, improved for effectiveness or safety.

Artificially created drug molecules having similar effects to naturally occurring drugs.

Unprocessed natural products used as medicines, coming from plants, animals, or minerals.

The study of natural medicines that now utilizes methods from related disciplines like chemistry, biochemistry, and pharmacology to further our understanding of medicinal plants and other sources.

Pharmacognosy links pharmacology and medicinal chemistry, using phytochemicals instead of traditional preparations to produce new plant-based medications, understanding drug effects on living systems, and acting as a crucial base for developing new medicines.

Crude drugs are raw materials used to make medicines, often as sources or intermediates for synthesizing active compounds.

Preparing crude drugs involves steps like stabilizing them, removing impurities, and tailoring them for pharmaceutical standardization.

Collection of wild plants for medicine is often unscientific, high-labor, and unreliable, leading to risks of misidentification and poisonous materials.

Collecting medicinal plants begins when collectors are available and there is market demand; plants are harvested to maximize active ingredient concentration.

Collect roots, corms, bulbs, rhizomes, and tubers during July-August and March-April, the end of flowering and fruiting periods.

Clean and dry collected underground parts in shade or ovens at 30°C to maintain their properties and prevent spoilage.

Collecting underground parts in summer negatively impacts their survival and regeneration in the next growing season.

Collect individual fruits and flowers only after maturity.

Cut annual stems 5-10cm above ground after flowering.

Collect leaves in their young stage when chemical constituents are higher.

Collect specific parts of flowers like petals, whole flowers, or flower buds separately, depending on the use.

Collect fruits and berries in early autumn.

Collect bark in spring or early summer when cambium is active for easier detachment.

Collect sap in spring as it rises.

Squeeze stems over a bowl using gloves to collect milky latex.

Skilled workers ensure proper and selective collection of crude drugs, maximizing quality.

Use hand-picking for leaves and fruits while mechanical devices like diggers, lifters, binders, strippers, mowers, or reapers are for other plant parts.

Drying removes moisture, preserves the quality, and makes grinding easier for crude drugs.

Direct sunlight exposure breaks down the active chemical compounds in drugs.

Drug shape affects how well it is preserved. Whole drugs last longer than powdered ones.

Colophony, when powdered, oxidizes faster, reducing its quality.

To prevent rancidity, ergot is treated with a lipid solvent before storage.

Adding Siam benzoin to lard preserves it from becoming rancid.

Drugs need airtight containers to avoid oxidation from atmospheric oxygen.

Drugs like shark-liver oil are stored with inert gases to prevent oxygen damage.

Drugs need protection against insects and hydrocyanic acid during storage.

High temperatures cause drug degradation, requiring low-temperature storage.

Expensive plant-based drugs are preserved at cool temperatures in closed containers.

Treating and modifying medicinal plants to utilize their active components.

Active ingredients of plants can have specific effects on body organs.

Various processes are used to extract medicinal substances from plants.

Herbal preparation method where the plant material is boiled in water.

A process of extracting active chemicals from plant materials with cold water.

Herbal preparation method where plant material steeped in hot water.

Method for getting herbal juice from plants.