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PharmacognosyPHR 113 / Lecture 01
Pharmacognosy
It was derived from two Greek words:
Pharmakon = Drug
Ginosko = Knowledge
PHARMACOGNOSY KNOWLEDGE OF DRUG
The term 'pharmacognosy' was first used by C.A. Seydler in 1815 in asmall book he wrote on crude drugs, entitled "AnalectaPharmacognostica".
• Pharmacognosy may be defined as the objective study of crudedrugs and related substances of natural origin to acquire knowledgeabout their nature and properties.
• It may also be defined as an applied science which is concernedwith acquiring knowledge of all aspects of crude drugs and othernatural substances of pharmaceutical importance by the applicationof various scientific disciplines.
Pharmacognosy
History of Pharmacognosy
Sumerian clay slab
• The ancient evidence (approximately 5000 yearsold) of natural plants for medical preparationhas been found on Sumerian clay slab in Nagpur.
• It comprised 12 recipes for preparation referringto over 250 plants and some alkaloids, such aspoppy and henbane.
History of Pharmacognosy
Shen Nung (2838-2698BC):• The emperor taught China to cultivate hemp as a fiber.
• He wrote a Chinese book on roots and grasses ‘Pen Ts’ao’ which consist of dried parts 365 drugs –
• the great yellow gentian• Ginseng• jimson weed• cinnamon bark• ephedra
Hippocrates (460-370 BC):
• He is regarded as a father of medicine for his contributionto human anatomy, physiology and development ofmedicinal plants.
• His literature consists of 300 medicinal plants., like garlicagainst intestine parasites etc.
History of Pharmacognosy
Theophrastus (371-287 BC)
He is known as the father of botany
He founded botanical science with his books ‘De CausisPlantarum’ plant etiology and ‘De Historia Plantarum’.
History of Pharmacognosy
Charles the Great (742-814AD)Emperor of the RomansHe quoted 100 plants such as –
• Sage• Sea onion• Iris• Mint• Common centaury• Poppy• Marsh mallow
History of Pharmacognosy
Pedanius Dioscorides (1st century, 40 – 90 AD)
• The Greek physician also known as the father ofpharmacognosy’.
• He published five volumes of a book, entitled ‘De MateriaMedica’ in 78 AD.
History of Pharmacognosy
De Materia Medica includes plenty data on:a. collection, storage and uses of 944 drugs, 600 are of plant
originb. descriptions of the external appearancec. locality and mode of collectiond. making of the medicinal preparationse. and their therapeutic effect.
History of Pharmacognosy
The Egyptian recordsEgyptians were expert in using crude drugs for treatmentand cure of disease. The ancient Egyptian records dateback to 3000 BC (the first recorded prescriptions werefound in Egyptian Tombs.
Ebers papyrus- 110 page scroll, about 20 meters long, contains
811 prescriptions and 700 drugs.- the oldest preserved medical document.
History of Pharmacognosy
The Babylonian recordsThe babylonians used drugs of plant origin in their practice ofmedicine as far back as 1770 BC, and many of them from plantand mineral sources were listed in Babylonian medical recipes.
The earliest records of vegetable drugs include opium, ricinus,myrrh, menth thymus, and 120 minerals.
History of Pharmacognosy
Ancient Greece and Rome
• Homer is the earliest source of Greek medical knowledge and thedescriptions of ancient Greek medical practice.
• National history is the largest compilation contains more than 1000plants from the roman period by Pliny (60 A.D).
History of Pharmacognosy
Pliny’s work is a valuable resources for the medicinal plants used inancient period.
Galen taught and practiced both pharmacy and medicine in Rome(130-200)
Galen formulated cold cream. His principles of preparing andcompounding medicines were followed by the western word for 1,500years.
History of Pharmacognosy
Indian records
Herbs played an important role in Ayurveda. The baisc Ayurvedawritings are at least 2,000 years old.Texts in Indian records -
1. Caraka Samhita,2. Suhsruta Samhita3. Astanga hrdayam Samhita 4. Sarngadhara Samhita5. Bhava Prakasa Samhita6. Madhava Nidanam Samhita.
History of Pharmacognosy
Caraka Samhita is the oldest and the authoritative writing in Ayurvedadates back to 6th to 7th century B.C. it describes about 582 herbs,while Sushruta Samhita, lists nearly 600 herbal remedies.
Important crude drugs used at this time include –• Sandalwood• Aloes• Sesame oil• Castor oil• Ginger benzoin• Cannabis
History of Pharmacognosy
The Chinese records• The first herbal classic written in china as published in the Qin
Dynasty (221-206 BC) called the Agriculture Emperors MateriaMedica.
• Chinese traditional medicine is well acknowledged for acupuncture.• Plant-based products are documented in volume ‘’Pen Ts’ao Kang
Mao’’(3000BC).
• These medicinal agents included rhubarb, ephedra andpomegranate.
History of Pharmacognosy
The Chinese records
A complete reference to chinese medicinal pescriptions is the ModernDay Encyclopedia of Chinese Materia Medica published in 1977. It listsmany drugs 4800 of which are of plant origin.
History of Pharmacognosy
The Arabs and Persian recordsThe physicians of arabia added many new plants and medicaments to those already recorded by the Greeks and Romans.
Avicenna is considered to be the brilliant contributors to the field of pharmacy and Medicine of Arabian era (about 980-1037)
He composed the Kitab Ash-shifa (‘’book of Healing”) and the canon ofmedicine.
History of Pharmacognosy
Al Gafiqi was a renowned botanist, who collected plants from Spainand Africa, and described them most accurately.
Abdullah ibn Ahmad Ibn al Baytar of Spain in mediaeval times was thegreatest pharmicist and botanist who described more than 1400medicinal plants and compared them with the ancient and arabianauthors.
History of Pharmacognosy
Thank you
Mohammad Ahad A Khan, PhDAssistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesNorth South University, Bangladesh Room: SAC 1013email: [email protected]: +880 17 0386 4707
