Pharmacognosy I Lec.1 Introduction Quiz

Pharmacognosy Overview

• Defined as the study of medicinal drugs derived from natural sources, particularly plants.
• The term 'pharmacognosy' combines Greek words meaning "knowledge of drugs".

Disciplines Involved

• Pharmacognosy integrates various fields including botany, chemistry, and pharmacology.
• Certain disciplines, such as artificial intelligence or computer science, are not directly involved in understanding medicinal plants.

Natural Products in Pharmacognosy

• Includes natural products from plants, animals, and minerals relevant to medicinal use.
• Examples of animal products traditionally included in pharmacognosy are honey and beeswax.

Limitations of Pure Compounds

• Pure compounds may lack the synergistic effects seen in whole plant extracts.
• Single compounds can lead to side effects that may be mitigated in the context of a multi-constituent extract.

Definitions and Concepts

• A drug is defined by the FDA as a substance for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.
• A pharmacopoeia serves as an authoritative book that provides standardized information about drugs, including descriptions and dosages.

Crude Drugs

• Crude drugs are unrefined extracts from plants or animals, containing multiple bioactive compounds.
• Natural drugs undergo processes like extraction, fermentation, or purification.

Synthetic Drugs

• Defined as drugs synthesized through chemical processes, distinct from natural sources.

Official Drugs

• Listed in official compendia, such as the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) or the British Pharmacopoeia.

Secondary Metabolites

• Examples include alkaloids and flavonoids, recognized for their pharmaceutical importance.

Chemotaxonomy

• Involves using chemical constituents for classifying and identifying plant species and chemotypes.
• Recent studies have shown chemical profiles can delineate closely related species.

Botanical Nomenclature

• The binomial system assigns each plant a two-part name: genus and species.
• Species names may be capitalized in specific contexts, like when referring to a genus.

Classification Systems

• Practicality may dictate the choice of a classification system, despite potential instability over time.
• The name 'Conium maculatum' signals specific characteristics of the hemlock plant.

Phylogenetic and Taxonomical Considerations

• Phylogenetic classifications rely on morphological, genetic, and chemical traits to establish relationships.
• The name 'Atropa belladonna' also reflects traits and origins of the plant.
• Taxonomists consider equal value or weighting for various characteristics based on their significance in classification.

Classification Characters

• Various types of characters, including morphological, anatomical, and molecular features, can be used to build a classification system in botany.