Pharmacognosy and Plant Chemistry Review

A comprehensive collection of vocabulary-style flashcards covering terminology, chemical constituents, tests, and plant sources from Pharmacognosy and Plant Chemistry lecture notes.

Glucosan

A carbohydrate that yields glucose units on hydrolysis.

Inulin

A fructosan that yields fructose units upon hydrolysis.

Tannins

Plant substances usually sourced from barks, stems, or seeds that have the ability to precipitate proteins and convert animal hides to leather.

Ethanol and Citric acid

Products of the cellular respiration of carbohydrates, especially glucose.

Mannitol

A substance absorbed from the GIT that is not metabolized parenterally, used as an osmotic diuretic.

Xanthan gum

A gum with pseudo-plastic properties that enables ointments to hold their shape and spread readily.

Garbling

The step in the preparation of crude drugs consisting of the removal of extraneous matter prior to packaging.

Phlobaphenes

The red-colored product formed when tannins are treated with hydrolytic agents.

Chrysarobin

An anthraquinone glycoside that is not employed as a cathartic because it is too irritating to use.

Ethiodized oil

An iodine addition product of the ethyl ester of the fatty acid of poppy seed.

Reserpine

An anti-hypertensive and psychotherapeutic alkaloid present in Rauwolfia serpentina.

Heroin

An alkaloid formed by the acetylation of morphine.

Eserine

An alkaloid employed in ophthalmology to treat glaucoma; also known as physostigmine.

Apocynum

A plant also known as black Indian hemp.

Ipecac syrup

An alkaloid in the form of a syrup used in the treatment of drug overdose in certain poisonings.

Methosalen

A lactone glycoside whose main therapeutic use is repigmentation.

Sodium morrhuate

The sodium salt of the fatty acid of cod, used as a sclerosing agent.

Paregoric

A preparation also known as camphorated opium tincture.

Prostaglandins

Lipid metabolites formed in the body from unsaturated fatty acids that biological activities involved in platelet aggregation, pain, and inflammation.

Mayer’s Reagent

An alkaloidal reagent composed of Mercuric Iodide, Potassium Iodide, and water.

Salicin

A substance classified as an alcohol glycoside.

Xanthoproteic test

A test used to determine the presence of proteins yielding a deep yellow precipitate as a positive result.

Ambergris

An expensive pathologic product of the sperm whale used in perfumery.

Isoprenoids

A collective name for terpenes, steroids, carotenoids, and rubber found in plants.

Organoleptic evaluation

Evaluation of crude drugs by means of the organs of sense, including macroscopic appearance.

Arbutin

A phenol-containing glycoside sourced from bear berry.

Sitosterol

The most widely occurring sterol.

Ergosterol

The principal sterol found in fungi.

Pomade

The fatty product impregnated with floral odor in the enfleurage extraction method.

Oxytocin

A uterine stimulating fraction relatively free from action on other smooth muscle.

Vasopressin

A hormone that regulates the threshold for resorption of water by the epithelium of the renal tubules.

Balsams

Resinous mixtures that contain cinnamic acid, benzoic acid, or both, or esters of these acids.

Bromelain

A mixture of protein-digesting and milk-clotting enzymes obtained from the pineapple plant.

Chamazulene

The constituent responsible for the blue color of freshly distilled chamomile oil.

Concretes

Products resulting from percolation with volatile solvents where the solvent is removed by vacuum distillation.

Absolutes

The product resulting after separating waxes from the volatile oils.

Albumins

A class of proteins characterized by solubility in water and in diluted aqueous salt solutions.

Porphine

The parent nucleus of the chlorophylls.

Manelonitrile

The precursor from which cyanophore glycosides are derived.

Anthocyanins

The common red to blue pigments found in flower petals.

Sinigrin

A glycoside that yields allyl isothiocyanate as one of the products of hydrolysis.

Bound poisons

The group of glycosides represented by cyanophore glycosides.

Aglycone

The non-sugar portion of a glycoside, also known as the genin.

Carminic acid

A specific glycoside obtained from Coccus cacti.

Azelaic acid

An anti-acne principle synthesized from castor oil.

Allicin

A glycoside found in garlic possessing anti-platelet and anti-microbial properties.

Picrotoxin

A glycosidic principle obtained from fish berries (Cocculus indicus) formerly used as an analeptic.

Joseph Caventou

The French pharmacist who collaborated with Pelletier to discover Quinine.

Taxonomic classification

The arrangement of drugs according to the natural relationship among plants and animals.

Amylose

A starch constituent that reacts with iodine to form a deep blue complex.

Amylopectin

The starch constituent responsible for paste-forming properties.

Casanthranol

A purified water-soluble mixture of glycosides extracted from cascara.

Pierre Robiquet

A phytochemist who discovered codeine in $1832$ and isolated narcotine.

Rudolf Brandes

A German pharmacist who isolated hyoscyamine in $1819$ and collaborated to discover atropine in $1835$.

Saponin glycosides

Glycosides that destroy red blood corpuscles by hemolysis and are toxic to cold-blooded animals.

Stearoptenes

The solid, oxidized hydrocarbon portion of volatile oils, such as menthol, camphor, and thymol.

Lanolin

The purified fat-like substance obtained from the wool of sheep.

Citral

An aldehyde volatile oil found in tanglad that is a good source of Vitamin A.

Menstruum

The technical term for the solvent used during an extraction process.

Marc

The undissolved portion of the drug that remains after extraction.

Myrrh

One of the ingredients used in the embalming material of the Egyptians.

Mimosa pudica

The scientific name for makahiya or the sensitive plant.

Takip-kuhol

The local name for Centella asiatica, which contains the bitter principle vellarin.

LSD

A hallucinogen derived from ergot.

Moore’s test

A confirmatory test for glucose.

Vittae

Oil tubes found in plants under the Apiaceae family that contain volatile oil.

Myrosin

The enzyme in black mustard seed that hydrolyzes the glycoside sinigrin.

Biotin

Also known as Vitamin H, it acts as a carboxyl-carrying cofactor in several carboxylase enzyme systems.

Sophistication

A true form of drug adulteration.

Wagner’s Reagent

An alkaloid reagent composed of iodine in potassium iodide solution.

Cholecystokinin

A hormone that contracts the gall bladder, stimulating the flow of bile.

Molisch test

A general test for carbohydrates that produces a violet ring between two layers when treated with concentrated sulfuric acid.

Bioassays

Official tests done on living animals or excised organs that indicate the strength of a drug or preparation.

Royal jelly

A milky white viscid secretion from worker hive bees used as a general tonic.

Colophony

The residue left after distilling the volatile oil from turpentine oleoresin; also known as rosin.

Ergonovine maleate

A constituent of Claviceps purpurea employed as a uterine muscle relaxant.