Medicinal Plants PDF

FACULTY OF PHARMACY FIRST YEAR GENERAL CLINICAL MEDICINAL PLANTS PREPARED BY DR MIRA MASOUD  BOTANY Morphology Anatomy Taxonomy Cell wall Ergastic Substances: The nonliving cell inclusions Some of these have great prod...

FACULTY OF PHARMACY FIRST YEAR GENERAL CLINICAL MEDICINAL PLANTS PREPARED BY DR MIRA MASOUD  BOTANY Morphology Anatomy Taxonomy Cell wall Ergastic Substances: The nonliving cell inclusions Some of these have great produced as a result of These substances are found importance in plant life metabolic activity of cell are in cytoplasm and vacuoles. while others are absolutely known as ergastic substances. by-products Reserve material 1- carbohydrates TYPES OF PLASTIDS 1- Carbohydrates (STARCH) ▪ Amyloplasts convert glucose to starch for storage ▪ Amyloplasts are derived from a group of plastids known as leucoplasts. Leucoplasts have no pigmentation and appear colorless ▪ The starch is stored as granules in amyloplasts of tubers, seeds, stems, and fruit ▪ Amyloplasts are derived from a group of plastids known as leucoplasts. Leucoplasts have no pigmentation and appear colorless. ▪ Amyloplasts convert glucose to starch for storage ▪ The starch is stored as granules in amyloplasts of roots, seeds, stems, and fruit.  6 5 4 1 4 2 3 What is Starch? Starch is a tasteless, fluffy white powder that is insoluble in cold water, alcohol, and other solvents. Starch is a polysaccharide made up of 1,4 linkages between glucose monomers. The chemical formula of the starch molecule is (C6H10O5)n. Starch is made up of long chains of sugar molecules that are connected together. 1 The linear polymer amylose is the most basic form of starch, while amylopectin is the branched form. The molecular structure of legume 6 starches is characterised by a mixture of linear amylose and highly branched amylopectin, with a high amylose content (24%–65%)  Starch grain characteristics Shape Size Aggregation Hilum ( shape, place) Each starch grain has a deep shining point said as hilum. Starch layers are formed around this hilum Striation Starchy materials are deposited in layers around the hilum. These are lines of stratification Starch grains show a great variability in shape and size A grain with one hilum is a simple grain. Two or more grains may be aggregated together forming a compound grain. When a compound grain develops some common line stratification, it is called a semi-compound or half-compound. When the hilum lies at the center of the grain, it is a concentric grain. If the hilum lies at one end of the grain, it is an eccentric grain. Wheat starch O Simple lenticular granules which are circular or oval in shape O 5–50 μ in diameter. O Granules contain hilum at the center and concentric O faintly marked striations. O Simple, rarely, compound granules with two to four components are also observed. Potato starch O sub-spherical, somewhat flattened irregularly ovoid in shape O Their sizes vary from 30–100 μ. O Point Hilum is present near the narrower end O well-marked concentric striations. O Generally, found in the form of simple granules, sometimes semi-compound. Maize starch O Granules are polyhedral or rounded, O 5–31 in diameter, O Hilum in the center or two to five rays cleft. Rice starch O Simple granules are polyhedral O 2–12 μ in diameter. O Compound granules are ovoid and 12–30 μ × 7 to 12 μ in size. They may contain 2–150 components O The granules are simple or compound Importance Starch grains constitute an important diagnostic character in the examination of powdered vegetable drugs. They are most abundant in drugs of underground structures and some seeds. they are rarely in leaf and flower drugs. Their shape and size also are characteristic of drugs of different origin. When treated with Iodine solution starch grains stain blue or blue-black.