Introduction of Pharmacognosy. Unit-I Part- Ipptx

Pharmacognosy & Phytochemistry-I
(BP405T)
Unit-I
Part-1
Introduction of Pharmacognosy.
Name: Mrs. Pooja Deepak Bhandare
Assistant Professor
Dadasaheb Balpande College of Pharmacy Besa Nagpur

• Scope: The subject involves the fundamentals of Pharmacognosy like scope,
classification of crude drugs, their identification and evaluation,
phytochemicals present in them and their medicinal properties.
• Objectives:
Upon completion of the course, the student shall be able
1. To know the techniques in the cultivation and production of crude drugs
2. To know the crude drugs, their uses and chemical nature
3. To know the evaluation techniques for the herbal drugs
4. To carry out the microscopic and morphological evaluation of crude drugs

UNIT-I 10 Hours
• Introduction to Pharmacognosy: (a) Definition, history, scope and development of
Pharmacognosy (b) Sources of Drugs – Plants, Animals, Marine & Tissue culture (c)
Organized drugs, unorganized drugs (dried latex, dried juices, dried extracts, gums and
mucilages, oleoresins and oleo- gum -resins).
• Classification of drugs: Alphabetical, morphological, taxonomical, chemical,
pharmacological, chemo and serotaxonomical classification of drugs
• Quality control of Drugs of Natural Origin: Adulteration of drugs of natural origin.
Evaluation by organoleptic, microscopic, physical, chemical and biological methods and
properties. Quantitative microscopy of crude drugs including lycopodium spore method,
leafconstants, camera lucida and diagrams of microscopic objects to scale with camera

UNIT-II 10 Hours
• Cultivation, Collection, Processing and storage of drugs of natural origin: Cultivation
and Collection of drugs of natural origin Factors influencing cultivation of medicinal
plants. Plant hormones and their applications. Polyploidy, mutation and hybridization
with reference to medicinal plant.
• Conservation of medicinal plant
UNIT-III 07 Hours
Tissue culture: Historical development of plant tissue culture, types of cultures,
Nutritional requirements, growth and their maintenance. Applications of plant tissue
culture in pharmacognosy. Edible vaccines

UNIT IV 10 Hours
• Pharmacognosy in various systems of medicine: Role of Pharmacognosy in allopathy
and traditional systems of medicine namely, Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy
and Chinese systems of medicine. Introduction to secondary metabolites: Definition,
classification, properties and test for identification of Alkaloids, Glycosides,
Flavonoids, Tannins, Volatile oil and Resins
UNIT V 08 Hours
• Study of biological source, chemical nature and uses of drugs of natural origin
containing following drugs Plant Products: Fibers - Cotton, Jute, Hemp
Hallucinogens, Teratogens, Natural allergen

 INTRODUCTION:
Pharmacognosy- It is a branch of science that deals with crude drugs obtained from natural sources.
• Pharmacognosy is systematic study of these crude drugs obtained from natural origins like plants,
animals, and minerals. Pharmacognosy can be defined as branch of science which involves the
detailed study of drugs obtained from natural origin including name, habitat, collection,
cultivation, macroscopy, microscopy, physical properties, chemical constituents, therapeutic
actions, uses, and adulterants.
• The word ‘Pharmacognosy’ derived from two Greek words- ‘Pharmacon’ means a drug and
‘Gignosco’ means to acquire knowledge .
• The word ‘Pharmacognosy’ was first coined by a German scientist “C. A. Seydler” in 1815 in the
title of his work “Analecta Pharmacognostica”.

• Crude Drug: Crude drugs are drugs that are obtained from natural sources
like plants, animals minerals & they are used as such as they occur in nature
without any processing except drying and size reduction.

HISTROY AND DEVELOPMENTS:
• History of Pharmacognosy- Divided in four parts
1. Primitive era- Pharmacognosy has been developed from ancient civilization who used
parts of plants and animals for healing, eliminate pain, control suffering and to treat
diseases. The primitive man tried to understand the rationale behind use of the crude drugs
and transfer his knowledge by mouth and later on by carving on to stones and clays and
then writing on parchment or paper.
2. Pre-Christian era- Chinese medicine is the oldest system of this era. Ayurveda also
described uses of medicinal plants and Charak samhita & Susruta samhita were compiled
during this phase. Papyrus ebers of Egypt described about 700 medicinal plants and
Theophrastus is known for his work on plant kingdom of this era.

3. Era after Christ- Dioscoroides a Greek Physician, described a variety of medicinal plants in his manuscript
“De Materia Medica” . Many scientists work like Galen, Parcelsus, Willium Turner, Le-Mary & Willium
Withering is still known for their contribution in development of Pharmacognosy. Dersone isolated Narcotine
and Serturner isolated Morphine from Opium.
It was towards the start of the nineteenth century that pharmacognosy came into genuine being. In 1815, C. A
Seydler, a German scientist who utilized “ Pharmacognosy” In his book named Analecta Pharmacognostica,
Was referred to as the father of pharmacognosy.
4. Modern Pharmacognosy- Starting from 1815, there was rapid growth and development in subject of
Pharmacognosy along with growth of other subjects and development of modern techniques for plant drugs.
During this era Penicillin and Streptomycin antibiotic was isolated. A number of plant drugs were also
identified as potential curative agents for many serious diseases. For example- Vinca alkaloids Vincristine and
Vinblastine as anticancer, Reserpine as antihypertensive, Digitoxan and Digoxin as cardiotonic and many more.

• In the early period, primitive man went in search of food and ate at random, plants or their
parts like tubers, fruits, leaves, etc.
• As no harmful effects were observed he considered them as edible materials and
used them as food. If he observed other effects by their eating they were
considered inedible, and according to the actions he used them in treating
symptoms or diseases.
• If it caused diarrhea it was used as purgative, if vomiting it was used as memtic
and if it was found poisonous and death was caused, he used it as arrow poison.

• The knowledge was empirical and was obtained by trial and error. He used drugs as such or
as their infusions and decoctions. The results were passed on from one generation to the
other, and new knowledge was added in the same way.
• The ancient Egyptians documented their knowledge about medicine on paper made from
Cyperusaquaticus commonly called acquatic sage or papyrus. Papyrus Ebers (around 1500
BC), Berlin Papyrus, Edwin Smith Paprus, Kahun Medicak Papyrus are some of the oldest
handbooks which contain information of illness and treatments. In ancient Egypt and
Mesopotamia clay tablets were used to document knowledge of drugs which are dating
back to 3000 BC.

• Shen Nung an emperor of china wrote Pen-t’Sao in 3000 BC which contain 365
different drug one for each day of the year.
• Indian History
Before 3500 BC : Medicinal properties of plant mentioned in Rigveda & Atharva
veda (35000-1500 BC) Ayurveda Traditional Indian system of medicine
(Ayurveda means knowledge of life)
Oldest written document of Ayurveda - Charak Samhita and Sushruta Samhita
both were compiled between 500-300 BC. Charak Samhita deals mostly with
plant and Sushruta Samhita deas with surgery

Table 1: Scientists and their work in the development of Pharmacognosy
Name Profession Work Period
Hippocrates
Father of Medicine
Greek scientist Studied human anatomy and Physiology 460-360
B.C
Aristotle
Father of Biology
Greek Philosopher Animal kingdom 384-322
B.C.
Theophrastus
Father of Botany
Greek Philosopher Plant kingdom 370-287
B.C.
Pedanius Dioscorides Greek physician De Materia Medica book is compilation of several plants 78 A.D.
Gaius Plinius Secundus or Pliny the Elder Roman naturalist Encyclopedic work entitled
Naturalis Historia
25-70 A.D.
Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus or
Galen Greek pharmacist Galenical Pharmacy 131–200 A.D.
Carl Linnaeus
Father of Taxonomy
Swedish botanist Binomial classification 1753
C A Seydler German scientist Coined word Pharmacognosy 1815
Sir Joseph D. Hooker British botanist Plant nomenclature 1817-1911
George Bentham English botanist Plant nomenclature 1800-1884
Charles Darwin English naturalist Evolutionary theory 1809-1882
Friedrich Sertürner German chemist Isolated first alkaloid morphine from opium 1804
Mikhail Tsvet Russian scientist Separation of plant pigments by chromatography 1900

SCOPE OF PHARMACOGNOSY:
1. Pharmacognosy is critical in development of different disciplines of science.
2. A pharmacognosist should possess a sound knowledge of the terms used to describe the
vegetable and animal drugs as covered under botany, zoology respectively.
3. The knowledge of plant taxonomy, plant breeding, plant pathology and plant genetics is
helpful in the development of cultivation technology for medicinal and aromatic plants.
4. Plant chemistry (phytochemistry) has undergone significant development in recent
years as a distinct discipline.
5. It is concerned with the enormous variety of substances that are synthesized and
accumulated by plants and the structural elucidation of these substances.

6. Extraction, isolation, purification, and characterization of phytochemicals from
natural sources are important for advancement of medicine system.
8. The knowledge of chemotaxonomy, biogenetic pathways for formation of
medicinally active primary and secondary metabolites, plant tissue culture and other
related fields is essential for complete understanding of pharmacognosy.
9.One should have the knowledge of biochemistry and chemical engineering is
essential for development of collection, processing, and storage technology of crude
drugs.
10. Pharmacognosy is important branch of pharmacy which is playing key role in new
drug discovery and development by using natural products.

Various sources of drugs
• Plants- Plant source is the oldest source of drugs. Most of the drugs in ancient
times were derived from plants. Almost all parts of the plants are used i.e. leaves,
stem, bark, fruits and roots etc. For example leaves of Digitalis purpurea are the
source of Digitoxin and Digoxin, which are cardiac glycosides.
• Animals- Pancreas is a source of Insulin, used in treatment of Diabetes. Sheep
thyroid is a source of thyroxin, used in hypertension. Cod liver is used as a source
of vitamin A and D. Blood of animals is used in preparation of vaccines.
Cochineal (dried full grown female insects) consists of carminic acid used as
colouring agent for foods, drugs and for cosmetic products.

• Plant Tissue Culture- It is in-vitro cultivation of plant cell or tissue
under aseptic and controlled environmental conditions, in liquid or on
semisolid well defined nutrient medium for the production of primary
and secondary metabolites or to regenerate plant. This technique affords
alternative solution to problems arising due to current rate of extinction
and decimation of flora and ecosystem. Applications are Production of
Phytopharmaceuticals, Biochemical Conversions Clonal Propagation
(Micro-propagation), Production of Immobilized Plant Cell and Sources
of drugs of natural origin.

• Marine Sources- The greater part of the earth surface is covered by seas and ocean, which contains
about 5,00,000 species of marine organisms. Many of these compounds have shown pronounced
biological activity. In the western medicine agar, alginic acid, carrageenan, protamine sulphate,
spermaceti & cod and halibut liver oils are the established marine medicinal products. Macroalgae or
seaweeds have been used as crude drugs in the treatment of iodine deficiency states such as goiter, etc.
Various examples are
1. Anticancer drug- Bryostatins, Dolastatins, Ara-C
2. Anti-inflammatory drugs- Pseudoterosins, bi-indole, Manoalide
3. Cardio-vascular drugs- Anthopleurins, Laminine, Saxitoxin
4. Anthelmintic drugs- Kainic acid, Domoic acid
5. Antimicrobial drugs- Cephalosporin, Istamycin, Nitenin

Introduction of Pharmacognosy. Unit-I Part- Ipptx

Introduction of Pharmacognosy. Unit-I Part- Ipptx

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Introduction of Pharmacognosy. Unit-I Part- Ipptx