Pharmacognosy

Greek words
Pharmakon- drug
Gnosis- knowledge
-science of natural drugs and
other natural of biological origin
affecting the health humans and
animals
-literally means knowledge of
pharmaceutical drugs
Natural
-refers to living organisms from
plants, animals and
microorganisms
Other Natural Products
-includes allergens, perfumes,
beverages, hallucinogens,
teratogens, contraceptives,
pesticides, health foods and
other substances of biological
origin
Pharmaceutically, biological
drugs includes
1. Crude drugs
-whole plants and
animals, and parts
thereof have not
undergone any process/
treatment other than
what is essential to their
proper packaging and
storage
-Ex: chondrus, cascara
sagrada, cochineal
2. Drug Constituents
-chief constituents and
their derivatives obtain
from drugs or biologic
origin prepared
synthetically or semisynthetically
-Ex: sucrose
3. Other Natural products
a. Plant juices,
exudates, secretions,
extracts
Ex: aloe, acacia
b. Animal secretions
and extracts
Ex: chymotrypsin
c. Microbial extracts
and products
Ex: xanthan gum,
sutilains
Biologics
a. Product composed of
antigenic
matter/antibody
preparation capable of
developing a state of
immunity in the patient
b. Diagnostic aid
Ex: mumps, skin test,
antigen, tuberculin
c. Biologics related to
human blood
Ex: blood serum
Drugs may be used in
pharmaceutical preparation as
1. Drug substances that
exert physiologic action
are therapeutic or
medicinal agents
2. Pharmaceutic
ingredients (have little/
no therapeutic value)
are used in dosage
formulation to improve

their properties/
therapeutic activity
Ex: flavors, colorants,
suspending agents,
disintegrants,
emulsifying agents
Pharmacognosy
-concerned with:
a. Biological Features
(taxonomy, morphology,
anatomy, physiology,
genetics, biochemistry
and pharmacology)
b. Chemical Features
(isolation, purification,
determination of
chemical structures and
properties of the active
constituents and their
identification)
c. Economic Features
(commercial, production
and trade)
Pharmacognosy implies
knowledge of the:
a. History
b. Taxonomy
c. Morphology
d. Anatomy
e. Geographical
distribution
f. Commerce
g. Identification
h. Evaluation
i. Use of natural drugs and
other natural substances
Pharmacognosy includes
a. Production and
processing of the crude
drugs
b. Procedures for isolating,
purifying, and identifying
the active chemicals
c. Physiological and
genetics aspects of the
growth and development
of these organisms
which affect the
biosynthesis of the
active constituents
d. Production cost as well
as economic and
political factors affecting
the supply and price of
these natural drugs and
natural products
Chemotaxonomy
-deals with the relationship
between the contituents and the
taxonomic position of the plant.
-in modern pharmacognosy
there is involvement of:
a. Plant physiology
b. Plant genetics
c. Biochemistry
d. Organic chemistry
e. Chemical synthesis
f. Pharmacology
g. Biotechnology
Classification of drugs
1. Alphabetical
-using Latin/English names,
drugs are arranged
alphabetically
Ex: BP, UP-NF
2. Taxonomic
-using one of the accepted
system of book classification

-drugs are arranged

according to their
classification which they are
obtained in phyla, orders,
families, genera, and
species
3. Morphological
-group according to plant
part used as leaves, flowers,
barks, roots, gums, oils
4. Pharmacological/
Therapeutic
-groupings of drugs
according to the
pharmacological action of
their most important
constituents of their
therapeutic use
5. Chemical/Biogenetic
-drugs are divided into
groups according to their
most important constituents
Ex: alkaloids, glycosides,
volatiles
Evaluation of drugs refers to
-identification of drugs
-determination of their quality
and purity
Methods
1. Organoleptic evaluation
-used of sense of organs
2. Microscopic examination
-used if drugs are in
form of powder
3. Pharmacological
assay/Bioassay
4. Chemical assay
5. Physical tests
Microscopic characteristics of a
crude drug maybe divided
into
1. Occurrence
2. Shape
3. Size
4. External color
5. Nature and color of the
fractured surface
6. Fracture
7. External markings
8. Odor
9. Taste
Organoleptic Method
-involves the use of sense of
organs
-determines/takes note of the
following:
Appearance of drug
Odor
Taste
Feel
Organoleptic examination of
underground parts
Six types of subterranean plant
structure
Root- portion of the plant
axis which descends into
the soil
Rhizome- underground
stem which bears roots
and leaves
Ex: ginger, zedoaria
Bulb- a subterranean
bud bearing numerous
overlapping scale-like
leaves
Ex: onions

Tuber- a short, fleshy

underground stem borne
on the end of slender
branches
Tuberous root- a thick
fleshy root
Corm- short, thickened,
underground stem with
reduced scaly leaves
(gladiolus)
In examining and describing
underground parts used as a
drug, the following features are
usually recorded
1. Nomenclatureofficial/most common
English name
-botanical origin (genus
and species)
-important synonyms
2. Occurrence how the
part exist in commerce
Ex; underground parts
occur as entire/whole, in
slices
(longitudinal/transverse,
cubical, broken pieces)
3. Shape- terms used to
describe are: cylindrical,
conical, fusiform/spindle
shaped, pyriform/pear
shaped, ovoid/egg
shaped, disc shaped
4. Size- the dimensions
(length and diameter)
are recorded in the
Metric system
5. External color- the color
of the external surface
6. External markingsterms include:
a. Furrowed- with
more/less regular
channels/groove
b. Wrinkled- covered w/
poorly defined
furrows
c. Fissured- showing
irregular clefts/splits
into interior
d. Annulated- ringed w/
transverse
outgrowths
e. Abraded- outer
tissues rubbed off
7. Fracture- how part
breaks when subjected
to sufficient stress
a. Complete- breaking
clean across
b. Incomplete- breaking
only part way
c. Short- clean, smooth
break w/ a snap
d. Fibrous- breaks w/
resistance and
shows projecting
fibers
e. Splintery- irregular
break w/ sharp
splinters
f. Brittle- easily broken
usually into many
fragments
g. Tough- breaking w/
difficulty

h. Weak- breaking w/
little effort
Note: unbreakable- too tough to
be fractured
8. Internal color- color of
the internal surface
9. Odors- describers as
distinct/indistinct
10. Taste- classified as
sweet, sour, salty/bitter
Above ground parts includes
1. Barks
2. Leaves
3. Flowers
4. Fruits
5. Seeds
6. Miscellaneous group
Bark
-composed of the external
tissues of woody stems or roots
-longitudinal and transverse
incisions
-divided into 3 regions
1. Outer bark (tissues
produced on the outer of
the cork cambium)
2. Middle bark/cortex (area
between the outer bark
and inner bark)
3. Inner bark/phloem
Barks used as drugs may
represent some or all of these 3
areas
-term bark without
qualification refers to stem bark
-root bark is always designated
as such
Leaves
-lateral outgrowth of plant
stems
-difference from stem:
Do not possess nodes
Has branches in their
axis
Generally flat, thin
structures
Contains chlorophyll and
veins
-consists of lamina or blade
(expanded portion) and petiole
(stalk)
-parallel or net veined
-principal features of a leaf:
Outline- refers to over-all
general shape
(linear, lanceolate,
oblong, elliptical, ovate,
falcate, orbicular,
oblanceolate)
Apex- (acuminate,
acute, obtuse, truncate,
retuse)
Base- (acute, cordate,
auriculate, sagitate,
peltate)
Margin- refers to the
condition of the leaf
edge
(entire, serrate, dentate,
crenate, repand)
Flowers
-branches of the shoot which
function in the production of
seeds and fruits
-reproductive organ of the
flowering plants

-a complete individual flower

composed of the
torus/receptacle (modified tip of
the vegetative axis) upon which
4 groups of parts are located:
1. Calyx (sepals)- ordinarily
green
2. Corolla (petals)white/highly colored
3. Androecium (stamen)male portion
Consist of:
a. Filament(stalk-like)
b. Anther (terminal
head)- produce
pollen
4. Gynoecium (pistil)female structure
Consist of:
a. Ovary- bulbous basal
portion, forms
ovules/female
gametes
b. Style- slender
column of tissue that
extends the top of
the ovary
c. Stigma- tip of style
d. Inflorescencearrangement of
flowers on the stem
Fruits
-ripened ovary/ ovary and
receptacle
-classified according to origin:
a. Simple fruits- from
single ovary
b. Aggregate fruitsseveral ripened
ovaries from a single
flower
c. Multiple fruitsripened ovaries of
several separate
flowers
-classified also as dry/fleshy at
maturity
-on structural basis classified as
cremocarps, legumes, drupes,
berries, achene, and follicles
Seeds
-fertilized and transformed
ovule that contains embryo
-normally consist of:
a. Seed coat (testa)
b. Embryo
Exalbuminou
s- food stored
primarily in
the embryo
Albuminousfood stored in
storage
tissue
outside the
embryo
c. Endosperm
Miscellaneous group
-made up of various forms of
plants or animal parts or
exudates used as drugs
-also includes unorganized
drugs (are substances of fairly
uniform composition but lack
organized cellular structure)

-unorganized drugs ate

generally obtained from plants
or animals by the process of
extraction or they may
represent natural exudates.
Classification (basis of
their origin and physical
composition)
1. Dried juices- Ex:
aloe, kino
2. Dried lattices- Ex:
opium, papain
3. Dried extract- Ex:
agar, alginate,
pectin, black catechu
4. Fats and fixed oilsEx: arachis, cod-

5.
6.
7.
8.

liver, theobroma,
olive oil
Waxes- Ex: beeswax,
spermaceti,
carnauba wax
Gums- Ex: acacia,
guar gum, sterculia,
tragacanth
Mucilage- Ex:
psyllium, fenugreek,
slippery elm, althea
Resins- Ex: asafetida,
benzoin, colophony
Oleoresins
Gum resins
Oleo-gum
resins

Balsams
9. Saccharine
substances- Ex:
honey
10. Volatile oils- Ex:
anise, turpentine,
peppermint
11. Animal products- ex:
beeswax,
cantharides, gelatin,
cod-liver oil, wool
fat, lactose