Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

• A medicinal plant is from the plant kingdom, with parts like flowers, leaves, roots, stems, fruits, or seeds used directly or in preparations as medicine to cure or relieve suffering.
• A medicinal plant contains active substances with a physiological effect on living organisms.
• An aromatic plant contains aromatic oil in one or more of its parts.
• Medicinal plants, also known as medicinal herbs, have been used for their healing properties since prehistoric times.
• These plants synthesize chemical compounds that serve defensive functions against insects, fungi, diseases, and herbivorous mammals.
• The origin of using plants to treat diseases is unknown.
• The discovery of some new plant food that eased pain may have been the beginning of folk knowledge.
• Herbal medicines are referred to as herbal remedies, herbal products, herbal medicinal products, phytomedicines, phytotherapeutic agents and phytopharmaceuticals.
• The use of herbal medicines in an evidence- or science-based approach for treatment and prevention is known as phytotherapy.
• Using medicinal plants has been done since ancient times and is considered the origin of modern medicine.
• Compounds of plant origin have been, and still are, an important source of compounds for drugs.
• Today, herbal products represent a measure of safety in contrast to synthetics, which may be regarded as unsafe for human health and the environment.
• The therapeutic qualities of plants vary depending on their chemical composition and active ingredients.
• Traditional uses attributed to medicinal plants depend on where the plant is consumed and the population consuming them.
• Scientific and accurate use of each plant is crucial to the success of herbal medicine treatment.
• How to use each plant, constitutionally and popularly, and any side effects and drug interactions need to be discussed.
• Beneficial herbs can become harmful when misused or used without knowledge.
• Plant taxonomy, the science of identifying, naming, and classifying plants based on morphological, genetic, and ecological characteristics, provides a systematic framework for organizing plant diversity.
• Accurate identification and classification of plants is crucial for using the correct species for medicinal purposes.
• Misidentification can lead to ineffective or harmful treatments.
• Around the world, different names are used for the same plant in different countries.
• Plant taxonomy establishes standardized scientific names (binomial nomenclature) for plants, which are universally recognized and reduce confusion caused by common names.
• The use of scientific names ensures clarity and consistency in the study and application of medicinal plants across different cultures and languages.
• Studies of evolutionary relationships among plants use molecular techniques to construct phylogenetic trees.
• Understanding these relationships can help in discovering new medicinal plants.
• Closely related plants often produce similar bioactive compounds, in which knowing the taxonomy can guide the search for new medicinal species.

Principles of plant Taxonomy

• Plant description is the assignment of features or attributes to a taxon (plant), with these features called characters.
• Plant identification is the determination of the identity of an unknown plant by comparison with previously collected specimens or with the aid of books or identification manuals.
• Plant nomenclature is the formal naming of plant taxa according to a standardized system.
• Nomenclature is important to provide the correct name for a plant.

Common Nomenclature (vernacular names)

• Many plants have "common names," provided by local people.
• They are not universal, with few species possessing common names.
• Applied to genera, species, or varieties.
• Sometimes more than one common name is applied for the same plant.
• Sometimes the same name is used for two or more distinctly different plants.
• Common names are specific for a certain language and/or accent, unknown to others.
• Without a unique name it's impossible to communicate about specific plants.

Botanical Nomenclature

• The formal names of plants are known as scientific names, which by convention are translated into the Latin language.
• The binomial system was founded by Swedish biologist Linnaeus in his book Species Plantarum (1753).
• All plants have a scientific name composed of two Latin names: Genus and Species.
• In this system, the first name starts with a capital letter and denotes the genus.
• The second name denotes the species and should be written after the Genus name.
• Botanical nomenclature is governed by the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN), published by the International Association of Plant Taxonomy (IAPT).
• The Plant code of 1867 was made to draw some important rules for nomenclature.
• The code stated that one plant may not have more than one name.
• No two plants may have the same name.
• If more than one name has been applied to a plant, priority begins with the year 1753 (Linnaeus Species Plantarum), and the others are synonyms.
• The Genus and species name is followed by the author's name who first described the species or variety.
• An example is Allium sativum L.

Plant classification

• Plant classification is the arrangement of plant taxa into some type of order (taxonomic hierarchy) to produce a logical system of grouping.

Division

• Plants are divided in this category based on if the plant bears or produces seeds.
• Plants are divided into vascular or non-vascular plants.
• Names of Divisions end in phyte.
• Ex: Spermato

Class

• Plants are divided into types of classes, including: Angiospermae (produce flowers) & Gymnospermae (don't produce flowers).

Subclass

• Dicotyledonae (two seed leaves) and Monocotyledonae (one seed leaf).

Order

• A group of related plant families, classified in the order in which they are thought to have developed, including in which they differ from a common ancestor.
• Names of orders end in ales.

Family

• Each order is divided into families.
• Classified by these plants with many botanical features in common.
• Related plants with similar flower parts are grouped together.
• The Rose Family, Rosaceae consists of plums, apples, strawberries because they all have similar flower structures.
• The names of families end in -aceae.

Genus

• The part of the plant name that is most familiar, the normal name that one gives a plant
• The plant's group name.
• All plants having the same generic name belongs to the same Genus and has similar characteristics and are closely related.
• The name of the Genus should be written italic.
• The generic name may indicate certain characters of the plant
• Atropa means fate who cuts the thread of life
• Glycyrrhiza means gluco = sweet, riza = root
• Linum, Linea = thread

Species

• The largest group of organisms which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction.
• It is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity.
• Often the species name is chosen to indicate certain characteristics of the plant, the color of flowers, or the shape of leaves.
• Together the Genus and species name identify that particular plant.

Characteristic color

• Alba means white: Quercus alba = white oak
• Rubrum means red: Acer rubrum red maple
• Nigrum means black: Piper nigrum
• Digitalis purpurea (purple)

Striking characteristic of the plant

• Cassia acutifolia (sharp pointed leaflets)
• Conium maculatum (maculate = spotted)
• Cassia angustifolia (narrow leaflets)
• Glycyrrhiza glabra (glabrous = smooth)
• Atropa belladonna (bella= beautiful, donna=lady)
• Hyoscyamus muticus (muticus = short)
• Brosma serratifolia (serrat = margin)

Aroma

• An aromatic plant (certain aroma)
• Myristica fragrans (nice aroma)
• Caryophyllus aromaticus (refers to aroma)

Geographical source

• Tamarindus indica (growing in India)
• Uriginia maritima (near the coast)

Pharmacological activity

• Papaver sominferum (inducing sleep)
• Strychnos nux-vomica (causing vomiting)
• Ipomoea purge (purgative action (كثين( #####. General meaning:
• Allium sativum (cultivated)

Life Cycle

• Annuals: Plants that complete their life cycle in one year.
• Biennials: Plants that complete their life cycle in two years.
• Perennials: Plants that live more than two years.
• Plant growth habits include trees, shrubs, and vines.