Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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
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
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