Introduction

Pharmacognosy

• study of drugs of biologic origin

• knowledge of drugs and pharmaceuticals

• highly specialized science that deals with the biologic, biochemical, and economic features of natural drugs and their constituents

Papyrus ebers

• discovered in 1550 BC in ancient Egypt in the tomb of a mummy

• scrolls of papers with 600-700 citations of drugs from plants or animals

Pedanios Dioscorides (Greek)

• wrote “De Materia Medica” (Medicinal Materials)

• 600 plants known to have medicinal properties

Pedanios Dioscorides (Greek)

• wrote “De Materia Medica” (Medicinal Materials)

• 600 plants known to have medicinal properties

C.A. Seydler

• coined the term “pharmacognosy”

• his dissertation: Analectica pharmacognostica

• “pharmakon”: drugs, “gnosis”: knowledge

Fluckiger

• “it is the simultaneous application of various scientific disciplines with the object of acquiring knowledge of drugs from every point of view”

• presented the most comprehensive idea of the scope of pharmacognosy

Johann Adam Schmidtt

• first used the term “pharmacognosy”

• book: Lehrbuch der Materia Medica (describes the study of plants and properties)

Crude Drugs

natural substances which only have undergone the process of collection and drying

has ‘Extractives/Derivatives’ : Chief constituent of the drug

menstruum

solvent or liquid mixture which dissolves the chief constituents

marc

undissolved portion of the drug that remains after extraction

extractive

product of extraction process

indigenous plants

plants growing in their native regions

naturalized

they grow in a foreign land other than their native homes

endemic

native or restricted to a certain place

collection

gathering of sample from the wild; proper time important to ensure quality of material

harvesting

gathering of cultivated sample for experiment

may be by hand or by mechanical means (digitalis)

drying

removal of moisture to protect from microbial damage (inactivate enzymes)

fixes the constituents, facilitates comminution, reduce bulk

curing

special method of drying; enhance active principles; inactivate toxic principles ex: Cascara sagrada with MgO

Garbling

final step in preparation of crude drug

physical or mechanical removal of extraneous matter (soil, dirt, plant parts)

Direct garbling

done at the collection site; harvesting the wanted plant parts

Indirect garbling

done after drying at the laboratory; separation of unwanted plant parts

Packaging, Storing, and Preservation

optional step; for protection from environmental conditions; for marketability

Fumigation with methyl bromide; add a drop of CCl4

exposure to 65°

simplest method to preserve from insect attacks

Evaluation of drugs

to identify the drug and determine its quality (intrinsic value) and purity

organoleptic

macroscopic; evaluation by means of the senses

microscopic

identification of pure, powdered drug (ex. arrowroot starch)

biologic

use of living organisms to determine pharmacologic activity of the drug

pigeon

assay of digitalis

sheep

assay of heparin

rabbits

assay of insulin

chemical

best method of determining the official potency

physical

application of physical constants to active principles of drugs (ex. melting point)

biogenesis

the process of producing these secondary metabolites used as drugs

• ontogeny or stage of development

• environment

• genetics

cannabidiol

when Cannabis sativa is still young

cannabinol

when Cannabis sativa matures

Adulteration

debasement of an article

inferiority

any substandard drug/article regardless of cause

spoilage

substandard drug, in which quality has been impaired by action of bacteria/fungi, rendering it unfit for human consumption

deterioration

destruction of active constituents due to aging or bacteria

admixture

unintentional addition of article to another

sophistication

true adulteration; intentional

substitution

WORST kind of adulteration; total replacement of what is required; intentional