16 Questions
What are the drugs that come from mineral sources?
Kaolin, chalk and diatomite
What was the earliest way of discovering the effects of plants on humans?
By trial and error
What was the purpose of the Ebers Papyrus?
To provide a collection of 800 prescriptions
Which ancient civilization made significant contributions to pharmacy and medicine?
Ancient Egyptians
What is the subject that describes the collection, preparation, and compounding of medicines?
Materia Medica
What was pharmacognosy like until the beginning of the 20th century?
A descriptive subject akin to botanical science
What was the main way that ancient people used drugs?
As infusions and decoctions
What was the purpose of the Edwin Smith Papyrus?
To describe surgical instructions and formulas for cosmetics
What is the definition of pharmacognosy?
The science dealing with the study of crude drugs obtained from plants, animals and mineral kingdom and their constituents
What is the origin of the word 'pharmacognosy'?
From two Latin words meaning 'knowledge of drugs'
What is a characteristic of crude drugs obtained from plants?
They are subjected to drying or making them into transverse or longitudinal slices
What is an example of a crude drug obtained from an animal?
Cantharides
What is the difference between organized and unorganized drugs?
Organized drugs are direct parts of plants, while unorganized drugs are not
What is an example of an unorganized drug?
Aloe
What is the purpose of drying or extracting crude drugs with water?
To preserve them for use
What is a type of crude drug obtained from plants?
All of the above
Study Notes
Definition and Scope of Pharmacognosy
- Pharmacognosy is the science that deals with the study of crude drugs obtained from plants, animals, and mineral kingdom, and their constituents.
- The word pharmacognosy comes from two Latin words: pharmakon (a drug) and gignoso (to acquire knowledge of), meaning "knowledge or science of drugs".
Crude Drugs
- Crude drugs are plants or animals, or their parts that are subjected to drying, slicing, or peeling.
- Examples of crude drugs include: entire plants, plant parts (e.g. senna leaves and pods, nux vomica seeds), and animal products (e.g. cantharides, thyroid organ extracts).
- Some crude drugs are used fresh, while most are dried after collection.
- Crude drugs can also be obtained through physical processes like drying or extraction with water.
- Examples of such drugs include aloe (dried juice of Aloe species), opium (dried latex from poppy capsules), and plant exudates (gums, resins, balsams, volatile oils, and fixed oils).
Classification of Crude Drugs
- Crude drugs can be either organized or unorganized:
- Organized drugs are direct parts of plants, consisting of cellular tissues.
- Unorganized drugs are prepared from plants through physical processes (incision, drying, or extraction with water) and do not contain cellular tissue.
Sources of Crude Drugs
- Plant sources: entire plants, plant parts, plant exudates (gums, resins, balsams), and volatile oils.
- Animal sources: entire animals, glandular products, extracts, fish liver oils, musk, beeswax, hormones, and enzymes.
- Mineral sources: kaolin, chalk, and diatomite.
History of Pharmacognosy
- Primitive humans discovered edible and medicinal uses of plants through trial and error.
- The knowledge was passed down through generations.
- Ancient civilizations, such as the Egyptians, used medicinal plants and documented their uses in papyri (e.g. Ebers Papyrus, Edwin Smith Papyrus).
- Pharmacy eventually separated from medicine, and materia medica (the science of material medicines) emerged.
- Until the 20th century, pharmacognosy focused on describing and identifying drugs, mainly from a botanical perspective.
Learn about the definition and basics of pharmacognosy, the science of studying crude drugs from plants, animals, and minerals.
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