Pharmacology: Collecting Plant Organs

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Questions and Answers

When should young leaves be collected?

When they are still folded and young (correct)

After the flowers and fruits have matured

When they are fully grown and dry

Before the seeds have matured

What is the ideal time to collect flowers?

After pollination

When they are fully expanded

Before the buds have formed

Just before full expansion (correct)

What type of fruits should be collected?

Ripe fruits

Mature but unripe fruits (correct)

Decaying fruits

Unripe and green fruits

What are unorganized drugs derived from?

Part of a plant or animal through extraction Signup and view all the answers

When should seeds be collected?

When they are mature Signup and view all the answers

What factor affects the collection of Hyoscyamus muticus leaves?

Time of the year Signup and view all the answers

What happens to Rhubarb in winter?

It contains no anthranols or anthraquinones Signup and view all the answers

What is necessary for collecting drugs?

Dry conditions Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the size and weight of flowers during drying?

They lose 80-90% of water Signup and view all the answers

What is the result of rapid heating and cooling of Aloes?

Homogenous glassy masses Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the texture of roots during drying?

Become harder Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the taste of fresh Gentian after drying?

Becomes pleasant Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the color of tea leaves during drying?

Turns dark brown Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the odor of Digitalis during drying?

Bad odors are lost Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the characteristic odor of fresh Vanilla pods during drying?

The characteristic odor is formed Signup and view all the answers

What might happen to sensitive constituents during drying?

They undergo hydrolysis Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of heat treatment in controlling insects?

To kill insect eggs Signup and view all the answers

Which method of controlling insects is preferred to fumigation and liming?

Low temp.storage Signup and view all the answers

What is the main goal of adulteration?

To defraud the consumer Signup and view all the answers

What is the type of adulteration that involves adding spurious or inferior substance to an article with the intention to defraud?

Sophistication Signup and view all the answers

What is the advantage of exposure to alternate periods of low and high temperatures over a prolonged period of low temperature exposure?

It is more effective for killing insects Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of adulteration of ginger?

Adding wheat flour + capsicum Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of curing in the preparation of drugs?

To change glucovanillin into vanillin Signup and view all the answers

What is the main goal of adjusting conditions during the preparation of drugs?

To minimize the loss of active constituents Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of garbling in the preparation of drugs?

To remove extraneous matter from drugs Signup and view all the answers

What is the main reason asafoetida is stored in well-closed containers?

To prevent loss of volatile oil Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of packing in the preparation of drugs?

To provide economy of space while protecting the drug Signup and view all the answers

What is a common change that occurs during the storage of seeds and fatty drugs?

They become rancid Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of a good storage facility for medicinal materials?

It is well-aerated, dry, and protected from light Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of an invisible change that can occur during the storage of drugs?

The loss of absorbency of cotton Signup and view all the answers

What happens when a substance is substituted with a different one?

The original drug is replaced with an entirely different substance Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of a drug that can be adulterated through exhaustion?

Foeniculum vulgare Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of recoloring a drug with artificial dye?

To restore the drug's original color after exhaustion Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of a drug that can be adulterated through substitution with a natural cheap substance?

Scopolia leaves for belladonna Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the addition of one article to another through accident, ignorance, or carelessness?

Admixture Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of a drug that can be adulterated through substitution with an artificially manufactured substance?

Artificial sugar for honey Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the mixing of a drug with a substance that has already been exhausted of its active medicinal components?

Exhaustion Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of a drug that can be adulterated through coloring matter containing drugs?

Crocus sativus Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Preparation of Drugs for Commercial Market

I. Collection (Harvesting)

Young leaves are collected before maturation, e.g., tea leaves are collected when still folded and cherry-laurel leaves when still young.
Leaves should be collected in dry conditions, in the absence of rain or dew.
Flowers are collected before full expansion, just before the time of pollination.
Flowers should be collected in dry conditions, in the absence of rain or dew.
Fruits are collected when mature but unripe, before dehiscence and loss of seeds, e.g., cubeb and black pepper.
Fruits should be collected in dry conditions, in the absence of rain or dew.
Unorganized drugs are collected in dry weather and freed from vegetable debris.
Seeds are collected when mature.

II. Factors Affecting Collection

Time of the year affects the collection of drugs, e.g., Hyoscyamus muticus leaves contain less alkaloids in winter than spring and summer.
Time of the day affects the collection of drugs.
Stage of maturity and age affects the collection of drugs.

III. Drying

Methods of drying: natural drying or open air, artificial drying, direct fire, stoves, drying chambers, vacuum dryers, spray dryer, and lyophilization (freeze drying).
Effect of drying on size and weight: 80-90% of water is lost.
Effect of drying on shape and appearance: shriveling, wrinkling, and surface reticulation might occur.
Effect of drying on texture: becomes harder (roots), brittle (leaves), or horny (starch-containing organs).
Effect of drying on taste: may be altered, e.g., fresh Gentian is very bitter, becoming pleasant on drying.
Effect of drying on color: becomes darker or changes completely, e.g., tea leaves change from green to dark brown.
Effect of drying on odor: changes, e.g., bad odors are lost, and fresh Vanilla pods have no odor, on drying, give the characteristic odor.
Effect of drying on constituents: sensitive constituents might hydrolyze during drying, conditions must be adjusted to minimize loss of active constituents.

IV. Curing

Curing is a process of fermentation applied to certain drugs before drying, where certain changes of the active constituents take place.
Example: Vanilla is subjected to curing to change glucovanillin into vanillin.

V. Garbling

Garbling is the process of removal of extraneous matter from drugs, e.g., sand, dirt, and foreign organic parts of the same plant.

VI. Packing

Packing provides economy of space while protecting the drug.
Examples: Asafoetida is stored in well-closed containers to prevent loss of volatile oil, and leaf drugs are stored in plastic bags.

VII. Storage

General rules for drug preservation: medicinal plant materials should be packaged in clean, dry boxes, sacks, bags, and stored in well-aerated, dry, and protected facilities from light, rodents, and insects.
Deterioration occurs during storage, e.g., seeds and fatty drugs become rancid, and volatile oil becomes thick and resinfied.
Methods for controlling insects:
- Heat treatment: exposure to 60-65°C kills insect eggs.
- Fumigation: volatile insecticidal agents in closed areas.
- Liming: partial protection against insect attack.
- Low temperature storage: preferred to fumigation and liming.

Adulteration of Crude Drugs

Adulteration is a practice of substituting the original crude drug partially or fully with other substances which are either free from or inferior in therapeutic and chemical properties.
Types of adulteration:
- Sophistication (true adulteration): the deliberate addition of spurious or inferior substance to any article with the intention to defraud.
- Substitution: an entirely different substance is used instead of the required drug.
- Admixture: addition of one article to another through accident, ignorance, or carelessness.
Examples of adulteration: ginger by adding wheat flour, capsicum, and curcuma, and cassia senna by Arabian and dog senna.

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Description

Learn about the general rules for collecting plant organs such as leaves, flowers, and fruits for medicinal purposes. Understand the importance of collecting them at the right stage of maturity and in dry conditions.