Means - Means: Pharmakon Gnosis
Means - Means: Pharmakon Gnosis
Written History:
• The written history has originated which was based on
region, religion and culture etc.
The written history was divided into the following:
Crude Drug:
Indigenous :
Naturalized:
Plants are said to be naturalized when they grow in a foreign land or
in a locality other than their native homes.
For example: Datura (Datura stramonium) which was introduced into
the USA from Europe.
Official Books
It provides guideline for the manufacturing, quality control,
packaging, storage, dose regimen, indication, contraindication etc
of different pharmaceutical products/medicine for the treatment
of diseases.
• USP – United States Pharmacopoeia
• BP – British Pharmacopoeia
• NF – National Formulary
• BNF – British National Formulary
• BDNF – Bangladesh National Formulary
• BPC – British Pharmaceutical Codex
• Martin Dale Extra Pharmacopoeia
• Materia Medica
• Physician’s Index
• Goodman’s & Gilmann’s: The Pharmacological Basis of
Therapeutics.
Terminology
Official vs Unofficial vs Nonofficial drug
Official drug:
Any drug (crude or prepared) which is included in
pharmacopoea or in national formulary or in recognized books
is called an ‘official drug’.
For example: quinine, morphine, codeine, paracetamol are
included in BP, USP, NF and so on.
Unofficial drug:
A drug which has been recognized earlier in the pharmacopoeia
or in national formulary or in recognized books but not found
in the current issue is designated as an ‘unofficial drug’. Those
substances were excluded from the recognized books due to
their severe toxic effects on humans. For example: Sucralfate
(hyperacidity), mercurial compounds (diuretics), benzoic acid
(preservative) etc.
Terminology
Nonofficial drug
Substance that has never been appeared in either of
the official books may be called nonoffical. Such
types of compounds may be published in current
journals having proven clinical value, but we do not
know about their side effects.
Extractive
The crude mixtures of chemical constituents that are removed
from plants or animals by various extraction processes are
called extractives or derivatives.
Secondery metabolites
These are substances synthesized or produced as by-products
by plants during their metabolic activities. Apparently they
are of no primary use of plants.
Monograph
Myotic pupil
Application of Pharmacognosy
• Plants always provide novel molecular structure,
which played important role for the molecular design
and development of novel potent, less toxic or
nontoxic drugs e.g. natural morphine has got
analgesic & narcotic effect but meperidine a synthetic
drug originates from morphine basic skeleton is non-
narcotic.
1. Their morphology
2. The taxonomy of the plants and animals from
which they are obtained
3. Their therapeutic application
4. Their chemical constituents or active principles.
2. Taxonomical classification
• In this system crude drugs are arranged according to the natural groups (e.g.
Families) of their source.
• For example: all the drugs obtained from Solanaceae are grouped together as
Solanaceous drugs.
Family Drugs
Solanaceae Solanaceous drugs.
eg. Tropane alkaloids
Umbelliferae Umbelliferous drugs. eg.,
volatile oils
Classification of Drugs
3. Pharmacological classification
• In pharmacological classification the drugs are grouped according to their therapeutic use.
• For example cardiotonic drug include digitalis, purgative drugs include castrol oil.
4. Chemical classification
2. Glycosides
a) Cardiac - Digitalis, strophanthus
b) Anthraquinone - Aloe, Cascara, senna
c) Saponins - Arjuna
d) Cyanophore - Wild cherry bark
1. Proper identification
2. Quality assurance.
Evaluation Method
1. Organoleptic
2. Microscopic
3. Biological
4. Chemical
5. Physical
1. Organoleptic evaluation of drug