Pharmacognosy II Week 5 Quiz

Course Information

• Course Title: Pharmacognosy II
• Course Code: PHG 213
• Week Number: 5
• Lecture Number: 5
• Lecturer: Dr. Hanan Samir Marzouk
• Academic Year: Fall 2024/2025

Medically Important Herbs

Cannabis Sativa var. Indica

• Botanical Name/Scientific Name: Cannabis sativa var. Indica
• Family: Cannabinaceae
• Part Used: Dried flowering and fruiting tops of cultivated female plants
• Description: Image of plant and its parts
• Active Constituents:
  • Resin: Contains Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
  • Cannabinoids: cannainol CBN, cannabidiol CBD, cannabivarin
  • Sterols
  • Amino acids and choline bases
  • Traces of volatile oil and oxidase enzyme

Macroscopic Characters

• Ternate bract (Image)
• Stipules (Image)
• Simple bract (Image)
• Unisexual flower (Image)
• Pistillate flower (Image)
• Bracts (Image)
• Flower (Image)
• Bracteoles (Image)
• Dry, Indehiscent Fruit (Image)

Microscopic Characters (Transverse Section – Bract)

• Cystolithic Trichomes (Image)
• Upper Cuticle (Image)
• Upper Epidermis (Image)
• Palisade (Image)
• Spongy Tissue (Image)
• Lower Epidermis (Image)
• Lower Cuticle (Image)
• Shaggy Hair (Image)
• Non Cystolithic Trichomes (Image)
• Calcium Carbonate deposits (only in Cannabis)

Microscopic Characters (Powder)

• Upper Epidermis of Bract (Image)
• Clusters of Caox (Image)
• Stomata (Image)
• No Hairs (Image)
• Upper Epidermis of Bracteole (Image)
• Lower Epidermis of Bracteole (Image)
• Lower Epidermis of Bract (Image)

Microscopic Characters (Trichomes)

• Glandular shaggy hair (image)
• Multicellular Head
• Multiserriet, Multicellular Stalk
• Responsible for secretion of oil
• Non glandular Cystolithic trichomes
• Unicellular with warty cuticle
• Base has Calcium carbonate deposite
• Non Cystolithic trichomes
• Unicellular with smooth cuticle

Microscopic Characters (Stem)

• Laticiferous vessels in stem (Image)
• CaOX Clusters (Image)
• Pericyclic Fiber (Image)
• Purple pappilosed stigma (Image)

Active Constituents

• THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol)
• Cannabinoids (cannabinol CBN, cannabidiol CBD, cannabivarin)
• Sterols
• Amino acids and choline bases
• Traces of volatile oil and oxidase enzyme

Chemical Tests

• Powder + dil. HCl: Effervescence due to CaCO3
• Nagm Test (For Narcotics)
• Extract Powder Cannabis with Light Petroleum
• Evaporate extract in porcelain dish
• Add few drops of vanillin/HCl reagent to residue in acetaldehyde
• Green to Blue to Violet colour change

Uses of Cannabis

• Narcotic effect: Mainly attributed to tetrahydrocannabinols
  • Smoking leads to a more pronounced action than oral administration.
• Cannabinol has less narcotic effect
• Cerebral stimulant and analgesic
• Sedative for migraine, neuralgia, hysteria, cramps of summer diarrhea, spasmodic cough, and intestinal disorders
• Large doses lead to delirium, hallucinations, sleep interruption, marked weakness, and mental depression

Forms of Cannabis

• Unprocessed: Dried cannabis flowers (marijuana, bhang)
• Processed:
  • Kief: Powder rich in trichomes, sifted from leaves/flowers
  • Hashish: Concentrated resin from female cannabis plants
    • Stronger than marijuana, smoked or chewed
    • Color variations from black to golden brown depend on purity
  • Hash oil
  • Residue collected from a pipe

Ergot

• Botanical Origin: Claviceps purpurea in rye plant (Secale cereals)
• Clavicepitaceae Family
• Sclerotium: Solid mass of fungus
• Ergot Life Cycle: Image of fungal life cycle
• Active Constituents
  • Water soluble Alkaloids (Ergometrine/ergonovine, Ergometrinine)
  • Water insoluble Alkaloids (five paired groups)
    • Ergotamine group (Ergotamine & Ergotaminine
    • Ergosine & Ergosinine
    • Ergocristine & Ergocristinine pair
    • Ergocryptine & Ergocryptinine pair
    • Ergocorine & Ergocorinine)
• Chemical Tests (for Ergotoxine):
• Van Urk Test: (Image of test procedure)
• Test for colouring matter in ergot in flour.
• Test for chitin using sclerotin
• Uses:
  • Ergometrine group stimulates uterus (used to increase uterine contraction and control uterine hemorrhage
  • Ergotamine group useful for headache and migraine.
  • Ergotoxine group for hypertension.
  • Ergosterol used in Vitamin D synthesis

Ergot Poisoning (Ergotism, Ergotoxicosis, Staint Anthony's fire)

• Symptoms
  • Convulsive symptoms
  • Gangrenous symptoms

Substitutes of Ergot

• Ergot of Wheat: Shorter, thicker, darker
• Ergot of Oats: Black
• Ergot of Diss: Spirally twisted.
• Factitious Ergot: Made by moulding and colouring wheat dough with inks