Clinical Pharmacognosy

Hafiz Waheed Ullah

Clinical Pharmacognosy

Clinical Pharmacognosy is the field of pharmacy which

deals with the clinical aspects of drugs of natural origin
(herbs, animals and minerals) and their relationships to
disease/diseased persons/patients.
Clinical pharmacognosy
• Clinical pharmacognosy is a part of allopathic syatem of
medicine (but as such it can be utilized in other systems
of medicines), therefore, the methods of investigations,
diagnosis and treatments will remain the same.

• The clinical pharmacognosy researches (especially drug

development) also requires the same procedure as is in
allopathic system i.e. clininical trial phase I, II, III & IV
BRANCHES OF CLINICAL PHARMACOGNOSY
• The following are the branches of pharmacognosy which
now become independent fields of specialization due to
intensive researches and in depth knowledge of genetic
engineering, development of sofesticated reliable
instruments and advancement of internet facilities.
• Pharmacology:
• Toxicology:
• Pathology and Physiology (Pathophysiology):
• Histology and Pathology (Histopathology):
• Cytology:
• Morphology:
• Molecular Genetics
• Biopharmaceutics
• Forensic medicine:
Clinical pharmacognosy deals with:
• Rational use of crude drug
• Patient safety
• Optimum dose of drug
• Pharmacodynamics
• Pharmacokinetics
• Side effects
• Adverse drug reactions
• Antidot for poisoning
• Duration of therapy
• Clinical pharmacognosy is a bridge between clinical
research and botanicals knowledge providing clinical and
pharmaceutical researchers, physicians and other healthcare
professionals with the key information they need to assist the
progress of herbal and traditional medicines.

• Clinical pharmacognosist should ask the patients about the

herbal drugs or other supplements they have had taken
before and about the history of possible allergic reactions. He
should also evaluate the patient recovery process after using
each kind of synthetic, herbal or traditional drugs and should
focus on resolving a wide range of challenging problems
• In order to use rational herbal and traditional medicines and
adding standard clinical values to them, establishing and
spreading of clinical pharmacognosy feature may help to improve
health to all.
• Clinical pharmacognosist can provide full and correct
information about all pharmaceutical and medical aspects of
plants, natural health products and dietary supplements.
• This field may plays leading and interesting roles in identifying,
analyzing, standardizing, controlling, documentation and
determining of these natural health products evidence based
medicines. It increases more the findings of effective naturals
especially by doing systematic review of randomized controlled
trials evaluated herbal therapies for different diseases.
Modern Pharmacognosy
Practice in Clinical Pharmacognosy
• CASE TAKING

For correct diagnosis, 3 things are needed.

1. Perfect history
2. Good and complete examination of patient
3. Laboratory investigations
• History of Patient
1. Name this is asked for identification.
2. Age for correct drug dosage
3. Sex for clear identification
4. Religion Chances of carcinoma of penis are for less
among Muslims and Jews, as both practice circumcision in
early childhood.
5. Profession. Detail is given in personal history.
6. Address. Certain diseases are endemic in certain
areas, so address must always be asked in detail.
7. Present complaint(s).
• 8. History of drug hypersensitivity (particularly about
penicillin) should be asked for.

• 9. Past histories This should not be confused with the

earlier symptoms of the present condition but this
includes attacks of a similar nature when a long interval
has elapsed.
• 10. Personal History In this connection one should
enquire about the following
a) Occupation of the patient
b) Hours and regularity of meals
c) In take of tobacco, alcohol or any other addictive
substances
d) Sleep
e) Sexual history (married/unmarried)
• A detailed history about the social surroundings of the
patient must be taken. His behavior towards his friends,
relatives and other persons with whom he comes in
contact should be asked as this has an important part in
diagnosis of certain psychological disorders.
General guidelines in the use of herbal medicines
• The FDA neither establishes nor regularly enforces any
standards of quality for herbal products. This means that
one must rely upon the reputation of the producer for any
quality assurance. Products are often misbranded, and
often the quantities of the ingredients are not listed.
• In mixtures containing large numbers of herbal
constituents, quantities sufficient to render a therapeutic
effect may be lacking.

• The consumer is best advised to purchase a preparation

containing a specified amount of a standardized extract
marketed by a reputable firm.
In addition to standardization of the herbal preparation,
another indicator of quality assurance is that the label
shows the scientific name of the botanical, the name and
address of the actual manufacturer, a batch or lot number,
the date of manufacture, and the expiration date.
DRAP number form 7
• Another important safety precaution is that herbal use is
not recommended for pregnant women, lactating mothers,
infants, or children under the age of six. In the pregnant
woman, most drugs cross the placental barrier to some
extent, and these expose the developing fetus to potential
teratogenic effects of the drug
• With the elderly patient, careful attention should be given
to drug dosing and monitoring for adverse effects.
• In addition, because elderly patients may tend to have
serious and multiple diseases for which they are taking
prescription medications, drug–herb interactions may be a
major concern.
• For this reason—not only for the elderly, but also for all
other patients—a patient’s drug history should always
include herbal medicines taken, and individuals should be
advised to share information on self-medication with
herbal medicines with their physician and pharmacist.