Pharmacognosy 1st Year National 2024 PDF

Pharmacognosy It deals with information on medicines from natural resources including plants, animals and microorganisms. Origin of the word “Pharmacognosy”: Two Greek words Pharmakon (drug) and gnosis (knowledge) Active constituents: compounds responsible for the therapeutic ef...

Pharmacognosy It deals with information on medicines from natural resources including plants, animals and microorganisms. Origin of the word “Pharmacognosy”: Two Greek words Pharmakon (drug) and gnosis (knowledge) Active constituents: compounds responsible for the therapeutic effects. Crude drugs: They are derived from plant, animal and mineral origin (before undergoing extensive processing or modification) The Pharmacopoeia: It is a governmental publication that contains A listing of all the official drugs with their description and requirements that make them suitable for use by humans. A drug which is listed in the pharmacopoeia is said to be official. A drug which is not listed in the pharmacopoeia is said to be unofficial. Examples: British Pharmacopoeia (B.P) United States Pharmacopoeia (U.S.P) Egyptian Pharmacopoeia (E.P.), The 1st E.P. (in English) in 1953, and (in Arabic) in 1961.  Plants: Crude drug from entire plant: Lobelia, Mentha Lobelia Mentha Crude drug from an organ of plant: Senna leaf, Chamomile flower, Liquorice root. Senna Chamomile Liquorice  Pharmacognosy Animals: Musk Beeswax A natural wax produced Musk is a substance with a by honey bees. The wax is persistent odour, obtained formed into scales by eight wax- from an exocrine gland of the producing glands in the male deer. It is dried and used abdominal segments of worker to make medicine. bees. Musk is effective in certain beeswax in use in cosmetics as nerve problems. it makes a protective layer on In manufacturing, musk is the skin and is a natural used in fragrances and exfoliant (remove dead cells from perfumes. the surface of the skin).  Pharmacognosy Microorganisms: Well-known antibiotics produced by a group of micro- organisms known as Actinomycetes. These Actinomycetes yield antibiotics such as actinomycin, amphotericin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin  Pharmacognosy Marine organisms: Cod liver oil is obtained from the livers of codfishes. Atlantic cod Cod-liver oil: and Pacific cod are most commonly used to make cod liver oil. It contains the omega 3 fatty acids and also vitamins A & D. Used for treatment of inflammation, arthritis, atherosclerosis. Improve cognitive performance Ara-A (vidarabine) isolated from sponge Tethya crypta. Antiviral  Pharmacognosy Mineral sources: Kaolin Talc Kaolin is obtained from the Talc: is mined from the earth surface layer of stones, keeping skin dry and helping clay and sand is used in to prevent rashes. It is widely ceramics, medicine, coated used in cosmetic products paper, as a food additive, such as baby powder and in toothpaste. adult body and facial powders  Pharmacognosy Biotechnology: Tissue culture The cultivation of plant cells, tissues, or organs on specially formulated nutrient media. Under the right conditions, an entire plant can be regenerated from a single cell. By using tissue culture techniques, the required plant compounds and metabolites can be produced in bulk quantities.  The botanical nomenclature Binomial system Genus (generic name), starts with capital letter. species (specific name), starts with small letter. Example: Cinchona ledgeriana (after Charles Ledger).  The specific name indicates 1- A striking characteristic of the plant: *Glycyrrhiza glabra (glabrous = smooth). Due to smooth fruit. *Atropa belladonna Glycyrrhiza glabra (bella = beautiful and donna = lady) due to the mydriatic effect of the eye pupil. *Hyoscyamus muticus (muticus = short) Hyoscyamus muticus Atropa belladonna The plant is short. 2. A characteristic colour: Piper nigrum Nigrum = black, due to the black colour of the fruit Piper nigrum Digitalis purpurea Purpurea = purple, due to the purple flower Digitalis purpurea 3. An armatic plant: Myristica fragrans Fragrans = nice aroma Myristica fragrans Caryophyllus aromaticus Aromaticus = characteristic aroma of the plant Caryophyllus aromaticus 4. Geographical source: Cannabis indica Olea arabica 5.Pharmaceutical activity: Papaver somniferum Somniferum = induce sleep Strychnos nux vomica Nux vomica = nut causing vomiting Ipomea purga Purga = purgative 6.A general meaning or a special indication: Allium sativum Sativum = cultivated Triticum vulgare Vulgare = growing wild The generic name may refer to a certain Character. Atropa belladonna Atropos = inflexible, indicates the poisonous Character of the drug Glycyrrhiza glabra means sweat root II. The geographical source of drugs: It is the region or habitat in which the plant yielding the drug grows. *Indigenous plants: Plants growing in their native habitats or countries. Example: Hyoscyamus muticus is indigenous to Egypt. Cannabis sativa is indigenous to India. When plants grow in a foreign land or in a locality other than their natural home, they are said to be Naturalized or Exotic plants N.B.: Cannabis sativa when grown in warm tropical climate the height = 15 meters. In cool climate, the height = 1 meter. *Cannabis grown in warm climate is rich in psychoactive material. While cannabis grown in cold climate contains no psychoactive material. Disadvantages of collection of wild plants for medicinal use: 1- Wild plants are distributed over unlimited areas 2- Difficulty in transportation (plants growing in deserts or forests) 3- Continuous collection lead to extinction of the plant 4- Can lead to adulteration due to ignorance of collectors 5- The collected amount to may be insufficient for the market demand. Advantages of cultivation of medicinal plants: 1- Provides a large accessible area of the crop 2- Improvement of the drug by controlling certain factors in cultivation as: a. Treatment of seeds before sowing to ensure germination e.g. soaking Hyoscyamus seeds in diluted sulphuric acid fastens germination and their treatment with colchicine increases the alkaloidal content of the crop. b. b. The use of fertilizers or , by providing the essential elements for plant nutrition such as N, K and P to increase the active constituents of the plants CONT. Advantages of cultivation of medicinal plants: c. Controlling insects infestation. 3- Provides a regular and sufficient supply 4- Collection, drying and storage are performed by skilled individuals 5- It could be done near a pharmaceutical factory and hence save effort and cost. 6. Cultivation helps study of the constituents of plants grown under controlled conditions. Disadvantages of cultivation of medicinal plants: 1- High cost of production except when carried on large scale 2- Some medicinal plants require imitation to a particular habitat e.g.: Cinchona requires damp hot weather Aloes require a heavy rain fall Cannabis requires a tropical climate for production of narcotic resin. 3- Cultivation may modify the morphological as well as the anatomical characters of the plant so identification becomes difficult