Introduction Part 1

• Pharmacognosy - is applied science that deals with the biological, biochemical and economic features of drugs of biologic origin and their constituents.
• Pharmacognosy - the discipline of medicinal chemistry
• Pharmacognosy - study of drugs of biologic origin
• Pharmacognosy focuses on:

  1. Identification of plants and animals
  2. Chemistry
  3. Evaluation, preservation and use or application of crude drugs
  4. Toxicology
  5. History, distribution, collection and selection
  6. Preparation and commerce
• What are the three disciplines (basic) devoted to drugs?

  1. Pharmacology
  2. Pharmacognosy
  3. Medicinal Chemistry
• Pharmacology - which dealt with drug actions and effects
• Pharmacognosy - covering all information on medicines from natural sources (plants, animals, and microorganism)
• Medicinal Chemistry - the science of synthetic drugs
• Constituents:

  1. Active constituents
  2. Inert constituents
• Active constituents - compounds that are responsible for the therapeutic effect
• Inert constituents - are differentiated to active constituents
• Inert constituents - have no pharmacologic activity
• Inert constituents examples: cellulose, starch, lignin, albumin, suberin, coloring matter
• Secondary constituents - are influenced by three principal factors: Heredity, Ontogeny, and Environmental factors
• Heredity - genetic composition
• Ontogeny - stage of development
• Environmental factors - can produce variations in secondary plant constituents include soil, climate, associated flora, and methods of cultivation
• Drug Biosynthesis / Biogenesis - study of the biochemical pathways leading to the formation of secondary constituents used as drugs.
• In the early period, primitive man went in search of food and ate at random, plants or their parts like tubers, fruits, leaves, etc.
• As no harmful effects were observed, he considered them as edible materials and used them as food
• If he observed other effects by their eating they were considered inedible, and according to the actions he used them in treating symptoms and diseases.
• If it caused diarrhea, it was used as a purgative. If vomiting, it was used as an emetic. And if it was found poisonous and death was caused, he used it as arrow poison. The knowledge was empirical and was obtained by trial and error.
• He used drugs as such or as their infusions and decoctions. The results were passed on from one generation to the other, and new knowledge was added in the same way.
• Pharmacognosy in ancient times (before the 19th century) - the medicines originated in Egypt and India.
• Pharmacognosy in ancient times (before the 19th century)

  
  

  Medicines were recorded both in Papyrus Ebers of Egypt about 1500 BC and later in Ayurveda of India.
• Pharmacognosy in ancient times (before the 19th century)

  
  

  In papyrus, crocus, dried ox-bile juice, castor oil, and so on were mentioned. In about 77 AD, Dioscorides, a Greek doctor, kept a record of about 600 kinds of crude drugs in his compiled book De Materia Medica, a book that had played an important role in pharmacology and botany by the 15th century.
• Pharmacognosy in ancient times (before the 19th century)

  
  

  Charaka made 50 groups of ten herbs each of which, according to him, would suffice an ordinary physician's need. Similarly, Sushruta arranged 760 herbs in 7 distinct sets based on some of their common properties.
• Pharmacognosy in ancient times (before the 19th century)

  
  

  A large portion of the Indian population even today depends on the Indian System of Medicine - Ayurveda, "An Ancient Science of Life". The well-known treatises in Ayurveda are Charaka Samhita and Sushrutha Samhita.
• Pharmacognosy in ancient times (before the 19th century)

  
  

  Ancient Rome also promoted its development. The Historia, written by Pliny ( 23 - 79 AD ), gave a brief account of nearly 1,000 species of plants, most of which could be used for medicines.
• Pharmacognosy in ancient times (before the 19th century)

  
  

  From ancient times to the middle of the 19th century, pharmacology has been in its traditional stage for all countries in the world. At that time, knowledge about medicines came mainly from senses and practical experiences.
• Pharmacognosy in Early Modern Times (1815 - 1930)

  
  

  It was at the beginning of the nineteenth century that pharmacognosy came into its real being. In 1815, C.A. Seydler, a German who used the word "pharmakognosie" in his book named Analecta Pharmacognostica.
• Pharmacognosy in Early Modern Times (1815 - 1930)

  In 1806, Serturner, a German, clarified the cell to be the basic unit of plant structure, and them microscopes were used to research the internal structure of crude drugs.
• Pharmacognosy in Early Modern Times (1815 - 1930)

  In 1803, the French Pharmacist, Derosne isolated narcotine from opium. In 1806, Serturner isolated morphine from opium and its role in alleviating pain was recognized
• Pharmacognosy in Early Modern Times (1815 - 1930)

  Meanwhile, the qualitative and quantitative methods of chemistry were used in crude drug identification. Fluorescence analysis and chromatography were used in sequence in the latter half of the 19th century.
• Pharmacognosy in Early Modern Times (1815 - 1930)

  All in all, the reason why pharmacognosy has become an independent subject is closely related to the development of international traffic and trade at that time. In the first half of the 19th century, the rapid progress in international trade gave rise to an increase in variety of medicines and resulted in enlarging scope or raw materials and medium products
• Pharmacognosy in Modern Times (1930 to the late 1990s)

  Since the 1930s, the development of biology and chemistry enriched methods and ways of studying good pharmacognosy. The development of the bioassay of the intensity of drug action (biological potency) advanced the study of active ingredients of crude drugs and strengthened quality evaluation for them.
• Pharmacognosy in Modern Times (1930 to the late 1990s)

  Chemical and physical methods, such as colorimetry, spectrophotometry, and fluorescence analysis, were all applied to identification of crude drugs gradually.
• Isolation of Penicillin in 1928 by Alexander Fleming and large scale production in 1941.
• Isolation of Reserpine from Rauwolfia root and confirming its hypotensive and tranquilizing properties
• Isolation of Vinca alkaloids, especially vincristine and vinblastine. These alkaloids also have anticancer properties