pcog

• Core subject matter of Pharmacognosy:

  • Crude drugs of natural origin obtained from plants, animals, and mineral sources and their active chemical constituents
• Scope of Pharmacognosy:

  • Field of medicine, bulk drugs, food supplements, pharmaceutical necessities, pesticides, dyes, tissue culture biotechnology, engineering, etc.
• Pharmacognostical Scheme:

  • Biological Source: includes biological names of plants or animals yielding the drug, family, genus, species, family, and part of the drug used
  • Geographical Source: areas of cultivation, collection, and route of transport of a drug
  • Cultivation, Collection, and Preparation:
  • Cultivation involves convergence of various pharmaceutical and environmental factors
  • Collection: medicinal plant materials should be collected during the appropriate season for best quality
  • Morphological Characters: length, thickness, surface, color, odor, taste, shape, etc.
• • Microscopical Characters: helps establish the correct identity of a drug
  • Chemical Constituents: determines the intrinsic value of a drug, includes physiologically active constituents
  • Uses: pharmaceutical, pharmacological, and biological activity of drugs
  • Substituents: used during non-availability of original drug
  • Adulterants: devoid of physiologically active constituents, deteriorates quality
  • Chemical Tests: important for unorganized drugs with undefined morphology
• Classification of Drugs of Natural Origin:

  • Crude drugs are substances used directly or indirectly as drugs, divided into organized and unorganized crude drugs
  • Organized Drugs: cellular organization with anatomical features, mostly from plant sources
  • Unorganized Drugs: lack morphological or anatomical organization, ultimate source remains plants, animals, or minerals
• How to Properly Write Scientific Names:

  • Alphabetical Classification: arranged in alphabetical order of Latin, English, or vernacular names
  • Taxonomical Classification: classified according to kingdom, subkingdom, division, class, order, family, genus, and species
  • Morphological Classification: helpful to identify and detect adulteration
  • Pharmacological Classification: based on therapeutic effect on the body
  • Chemical Classification: popular for phytochemical studies
  • Chemotaxonomical Classification: relies on chemical similarity for understanding taxonomical status and relationships
• Plant Monograph:

  • German Commission E Monograph: contains 324 herbs with sources, constituents, and pharmacological clinical information
  • ESCOP Monograph: produced 60 monographs on herbal drugs with approved therapeutic uses
  • AHP Monograph: contains 11-13 monographs, volumes published in series
  • WHO Monographs: provide scientific information on safety, efficacy, and quality control of medicinal plants
• Geographical distribution:

  • Indigenous to China, India, Indonesia, and Viet Nam
• General identity tests:

  • Macroscopic and microscopic examinations
• Purity tests:

  • Microbiology:
  • Test for Salmonella spp. in Fructus Bruceae products should be negative
  • Maximum acceptable limits of other microorganisms for preparation of decoction:
  • Aerobic bacteria: not more than 10^7/g
  • Fungi: not more than 10^5/g
  • Escherichia coli: not more than 10^2/g
  • For preparations (capsules) for internal use:
  • Aerobic bacteria: not more than 10^5/g
  • Fungi: not more than 10^4/g
  • Enterobacteria and certain Gram-negative bacteria: not more than 10^3/g
  • Escherichia coli: 0/g
• • Foreign organic matter: not more than 2%
  • Total ash: not more than 6%
  • Acid-insoluble ash: not more than 0.6%
  • Water-soluble extractive: not less than 18%
  • Dilute ethanol-soluble extractive: not less than 26%
• Pesticide residues:

  • Maximum residue limit of aldrin and dieldrin in Fructus Bruceae is not more than 0.05 mg/kg
  • Guidelines on quality control methods for medicinal plants should be followed for other pesticides
• Heavy metals:

  • Recommended lead and cadmium levels are no more than 10.0 and 0.3mg/kg, respectively, in the final dosage form of the plant material
• Radioactive residues:

  • Analysis of strontium-90, iodine-131, caesium-134, caesium-137, and plutonium-239 should be done according to WHO guidelines on quality control methods for medicinal plants
• Chemical assays:

  • Contains bruceosides and related quassinoids
  • Quantitative content requirement to be established
  • Quantitative determination of quassinoid triterpenes by a high-performance liquid chromatographic method developed for the determination of bruceoside A
• Major chemical constituents:

  • Quassinoid triterpenes predominate as the secondary metabolite constituents
  • Representative quassinoid structures are presented in the figure
• Dosage forms:

  • Seeds for decoction, or capsules
  • Store in airtight container, protected from light and moisture
• Medicinal uses:

  • Uses described in pharmacopoeias and in traditional systems of medicine:
  • Treatment of amoebic dysentery and malaria
  • Uses described in folk medicine, not supported by experimental or clinical data:
  • Various treatments such as poultice on boils, ringworm, whipworm, roundworm, tapeworm, scurf, centipede bites, haemorrhoids, enlarged spleen, warts, and corns
• Pharmacology:

  • Amoebicidal and antibacterial activity:
  • Extracts of Brucea javanica kernels are effective amoebicides
  • Quassinoids from Brucea javanica are potent inhibitors of protein synthesis and effective against Entamoeba histolytica and other protozoa
  • Extracts possess antibacterial activity against various bacteria
  • Antimalarial activity:
  • Fructus Bruceae extracts have antiplasmodial activity against Plasmodium falciparum
  • Quassinoids from Brucea javanica are effective against chloroquine-resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum
• • Bruceolide from Brucea javanica is effective against Plasmodium berghei
  • Quassinoids have cytotoxic activity
  • Clinical pharmacology:
  • Brucea javanica fruit extracts have been used clinically in the treatment of amoebic dysentery
• Contraindications:

  • Fructus Bruceae should not be administered to children or pregnant women
• Precautions:

  • Pregnancy: teratogenic and non-teratogenic effects
  • Nursing mothers: drug should not be administered
  • Paediatric use: should not be administered to young children
• Adverse reactions:

  • Some cases of anaphylaxis reported after external applications of the fruits of Brucea javanica
• Posology/dosage:

  • Daily dose to treat amoebiasis: 4-16g as a decoction or powder in three divided doses for 3-7 days
  • Daily dose to treat malaria: 3-6g in three divided doses after meals for 4 or 5 days
• References:

  • Various pharmacopoeias and publications