Key Terms

Crude drug

Vegetable/animal drug consisting of natural substances that underwent collection and drying; includes plant exudates

. Natural substance

Found in nature;

whole plants/parts, animals/excised organs;

no molecular modification.

Derivative/extractive

Chief principles/constituents of crude drugs separated and used specifically.

Menstruum

Polar or non-polar solvent/liquid mixture used to extract active principles.

Marc

Undissolved solid portion remaining after extraction.

Indigenous

Plant growing in its native country.

Naturalized

Plant growing in foreign land other than its native home

Think extraction:

MENSTRUUM goes ___

MARC is what is ____

IN;

LEFT.

Alphabetical

Latin/English/vernacular name

Easy arrangement

Morphological

Plant part represented

Convenient, but no chemical relationship

Chemical

Active constituent

Preferred/more specific than pharmacological in source

Taxonomic

Phylogeny/natural relationship

Carl/Carolus Linnaeus = Father of Modern Taxonomy

Pharmacologic

Therapeutic effect on body

Effect-based classification

Infusion

Maceration in hot/cold water;

<100 C, short period

Tea

Maceration

Drug + prescribed solvent in stoppered container;

at least 3 days, warm place, constant agitation

Long contact + agitation

Percolation

Gravity/passage through porous material; dampen ground drug, then pack percolator

NO AGITATION after packing; macerated >=24 h

Digestion

Maceration with gentle heat

<35-40 C

Decoction

Boiling water for heat-stable, water-soluble constituents

~15 min; >=100 C

Liquid-liquid extraction

Partitioning based on solvent affinity/polarity

2 solvents + separatory funnel

Distillation

Different boiling/evaporating points

Evaporation + condensation

Collection

Small-scale information gathering;

goal = true natural source and plant species with highest active content.

Harvesting

Proper season.

Manual: berries, coffee, digitalis (source says for more potent constituents).

Mechanical: apples/oranges.

Drying

Removes moisture; prevents bacterial/fungal growth and enzymatic degradation;

facilitates grinding/milling.

Curing

Special drying that enhances active-ingredient properties.

Cascara: dried/cured with MgO;

vanilla: sweating releases volatile oil/aldehyde.

Garbling

Final preparation step; removes dirt, soil, adulterants, and other plant parts.

Packaging/storage

Protects quality and marketability.

Source gives controlled 25-30 C; biologics 2-8 C

Organoleptic

Organs of senses;

macroscopic appearance.

Microscopic

Histological characters; adulterants in powdered plants.

Physical

Solubility, specific gravity, viscosity, optical rotation, congealing point, boiling point.

Chemical

Assay active constituents using chemicals;

titration = best method for official potency in source.

Pharmacologic

Bioassays using living animals/excised organs; examples:

sheep-heparin,

rabbit-insulin,

rooster-oxytocin,

pigeon-digitalis,

cat-atropine,

dog parathyroid hormone.

Inferiority

Any substandard drug/article regardless of cause.

Spoilage

Substandard drug with quality impaired by bacteria/fungi.

Deterioration

Higher level of spoilage;

destruction of active constituents due to aging/bacteria.

Admixture

Unintentional addition of one article to another.

Sophistication

True adulteration;

intentional.

Substitution

Total replacement of what is required;

intentional; worst kind .

 Primary metabolites: .

essential/required for plant life and growth; examples starch, glucose, cellulose.

 Secondary metabolites:

derived from primary metabolites;

not mandatory for plant life; examples alkaloids, glycosides, tannins, flavonoids.

 Biogenesis:

production of secondary metabolites

Ontogeny/stage of development -

example Cannabis constituents change with maturity in the source.

 Environment -

soil, climate, associated flora, cultivation.

 Hereditary/genetic -

qualitative/quantitative changes;

Japanese peppermint has higher menthol

Auxins

Stem/root growth, apical dominance, flowering

Gibberellins

Stem elongation, bolting, pollen tube growth, seed storage mobilization

Cytokinins

Cell division; delay senescence;

activate dormant buds

Abscisic acid

Dormancy; growth inhibitor

Ethylene

Fruit ripening, root/root-hair growth, aging/abscission