OIA2007 INTRODUCTION TO PHARMACOGNOSY

These flashcards cover key concepts regarding Pharmacognosy, its importance, history, and roles in healthcare.

What is Pharmacognosy?

The study of medicinal plants from natural sources, focusing on crude drugs as plant metabolites with medicinal value.

What does pharmacognosy related to?

The study of physical, chemical, biochemical & biological properties of drugs, drugs substances or potential drugs of natural origin as well as the search for new drugs from natural sources.

What does the Greek word 'Pharmakon' mean?

'Pharmakon' means 'a drug'.

What is the significance of plants in nature?

Plants provide food, shelter, clothing, drugs, improve mental health, and offer fragrance.

Define allelopathy.

Allelopathy is the influence of one organism on another, which can be symbiotic (mutually beneficial) or antibiosis (detrimental).

List the six major sources of drugs.

1. Plant sources; 2. Animal sources; 3. Mineral sources; 4. Microbiological sources; 5. Semi-synthetic sources; 6. Recombinant DNA technology.

What are herbal monographs?

Herbal monographs provide evaluations and characterization methods for herbal products, detailing identity, purity, and assays of active ingredients.

Who is known as the 'Father of Medicine'?

Hippocrates is referred to as the 'Father of Medicine'.

Who studied animal kingdom?

Aristotle (384-322 BC)

Who studied plant kingdom?

Theophrastus (372-287 BC)

What Pliny Elder (23-70 AD) did?

Complied 37 vol. of natural history

What is Galenical Pharmacy?

Formulation/ preparation procedure of drug, introduced by Galen

Who discovered the term ‘Pharmacognosy’?

Seydler (1815)

What William Withering did in 1875?

Published medicinal properties of fox glove.

Who gave a number of extraction procedures?

Stass and Otto in 1852.

What role does Pharmacognosy play in modern medicine?

Pharmacognosy plays a key role in drug discovery and development, linking modern and traditional medicine.

What are the chief functions of pharmacognosists?

1. Identify the drug's source;

2. Determine morphological nature

3. Investigate potency and purity;

4. Devise cultivation methods;

5. Prescribe collection and preparation processes;

6. Study drug constituents.

What is Materia Medica?

Materia Medica is a compilation of knowledge describing how plants have been therapeutically used throughout history.

Leaves: Digitalis pupurea

Digitoxin & Digoxin; cardiac glycosides

Leaves: Eucalyptus sp.

Eucalyptus oil; cough syrups

Leaves: Nicotina tabacum (tobacco)

Nicotine; sitmulate and anxiolytic

Leaves: Atropa belladonna

Atropine; Antimuscarinic agent, increase HR

Flower: Papaver Somniferum (Opium)

Morphine and codeine; narcotic analgesic & CNS depressant (induce sleep)

Flower: vinca rosea

Vinblastine and vincristine; anticancer

Flower: Rosa rubiginosa

Rose water; refreshing

Fruit: Senna Alexandrina (Senna pod)

Anthracine; purgative (constipation)

Fruit: physostigma venenosum (Calabar bean)

Physostigmine; parasympathomimetic

Root: Psychotria Ipecacuanha

Emetine; induce vomit

Root: Rauwolfia serpentina

Reserpine; anti-hypertensive agent (no longer used)

Stem: Chondrodendron tomentosum

Tubocurarine; anesthetic & skeletal muscle relaxant