Pharmacognosy

Introduction
Outline
• Course objectives
• Plan for the semester
• Introduction to Pharmacy
Course objectives
To enable the students to acquire knowledge about
• Basic concepts of plant studies related
to pharmaceutical field
• Pharmacognostic studies of a naturally occurring
medicinal crude drugs and their evaluation
techniques
• Medicinally important plants
 Plan for the semester
• 4 Credits
• 45 hours Lectures
• 30 hours Practical
• Quiz
• In course assessment- 20%
• End examination – 80%
• Essay- 40%
• MCQ- 20%
• Practical- 20%
 Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the art and science of preparing and
dispensing medications and provision of drug related
information to the public.
Father of Pharmacy
• Aelius Galenus (Galen) a Greek physician
• Galen's most famous medicinal
formula was Theriac, an herbal jam
• 64 different ingredients
• Used as an antidote to snake venom or
other poison
 Pharmacy
Pharmaceutical Pharmacy Practice
Hospital pharmacy
Science
Community pharmacy Clinical
pharmacy Research

Pharmaceutical Science
Discovery and Design
• Pharmacognosy: the study of medicines derived from
natural sources.
• Pharmaceutical chemistry: the study of drug design to
optimize pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and
synthesis of new drug molecules (Medicinal Chemistry).
•Drug Delivery
• Pharmacokinetics: "What the body does to the drug"
• Pharmaceutics: the study and design of drug
formulation for optimum delivery, stability,
pharmacokinetics, and patient acceptance

Drug Action
• Pharmacology: the study of the biochemical
and physiological effects of drugs on human
beings.
• Pharmacodynamics: "What the drug does to the body"
• Pharmaceutical toxicology: the study of the harmful or
toxic effects of drugs.
• Pharmacogenomics: the study of the inheritance of
characteristic patterns of interaction between drugs
and organisms.

Drug Analysis
• Analytical chemistry- Studies and uses instruments
and methods used to separate, identify, and discovery
of a chemical present in sample.

Cost Effectiveness of Medicines

• Pharmacoeconomics- Refers to the scientific discipline
that compares the value of one pharmaceutical drug
or drug therapy to another
 Pharmacy Practice
•Pharmacy not occupation is a
profession………………..
• Occupation- Job by which somebody earns for living
• Profession- An occupation characterized by –
• Extensive study
• Specialized training
• Specialized knowledge
• Professional organization
• Ethical code & Professional
behavior
• Process of certification or
licensing
Scope of Pharmacist
 Introduction to pharmacognosy
Outline
 Definition

 History

 Scope
 Pharmacognosy is the study of Natural Substances used
in the treatment of diseases and preventing of diseases
Pharmacognosy is the study of the crude drugs which
comprise the knowledge
History Distribution
Cultivation Collection
Sensory characters
Physical characters Chemical
characters Structural characters
Uses
Processing for market
Preservation
Term derived from two Greek words…………..
Pharmakon- a drug
Ginosco- to acquire knowledge of

Job of the pharmacognosists………………

• A person who studies, practices or is
knowledgeable about pharmacognosy
• Identify drugs
• Macroscopically and
• Microscopically
• Carry out modern assays
Multi disciplinary approach………
For the complete understanding of medicinal
chemistry you need to know
• Commerce • Enzymology
• Botany • Genetics
• Horticulture • Quality control
• Chemistry • Pharmacology

Pharmacognosy is closely related to botany and

chemistry……..
Up to 20th century main focus is on morphological
and macroscopic description and identification of
crude drugs.

Now purified form rather than crude form

 Pharmacognosy
Definition- Branch of pharmacy that deals with
the physical, chemical, biochemical and biological
properties of potential drugs or drug substances of
natural origin as well as the search
for new drugs from natural sources
 Early history of Pharmacognosy

Primitive men and women used plants, animals and

minerals to treat illness
 Ancient times (3500 BC- AD 500)
Traditional Chinese medicine- 3500 BC
 Firstwritten evidence of Chinese
medicine dated back to 1100 B.C.
containing a record of 52
prescriptions.

Mesopotamian era- 3100 BC

Dated back to 2600 B.C. to
Mesopotamian era where records
of natural products were
depicted on clay tablets.
 Egyptian Medicine- around 3000 BC
Egyptian medicine is dated back
to 2900 B.C., documentation of their
pharmaceutical records in Ebers Papyrus
dated 1500 B.C.
This includes many formulations including
ointments, gargles, pills, infusions and so on.
 Indian Medicine- 800 BC – AD 1000
Documentation of Ayurvedic
medicinal system dates from 1000
B.C. in the Vedic period but is still
practiced popularly in the Indian
subcontinent.
 Greek Medicine- 400 BC
Greek philosopher Hippocrates,
Galen and many other physicians
emerged lot common in Chinese and
Ayurveda
Roman Medicine- 300-100 BC
In the Western world, Greeks and
Romans had a history of herbal drugs
recorded by the philosopher
Theophrastus (300 B.C.) and the
physician Dioscorides (100 B.C.)
respectively.
 Middle age (AD 400 to 1500)
The Early Church- Western
knowledge of herbal medicine
was preserved in monasteries in
England, Ireland France and
Germany
Arabian Medicine
Trade with many regions- Extended
medical knowledge
Their major contribution - Knowledge
of medical preparations and
distillation methods
Native American Indians used herbal
remedies

Japanese adopted Chinese medicine

through Korea

In Sri Lankan scenario

“Ayurveda”
“Siddha”
“Unani”
“Veda Mahaththaya” in vilage settings
• Important link between pharmacology and
medicinal chemistry
• Plays an important role in pharmacology,
pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacy and
pharmacy administration
• Vital link between pharmaceutics and various
traditional systems of medicine
• Evaluation of modern drug discovery
 Scope of Pharmacognosy
• Isolation or analysis of phytochemical
• Structure activity relationship
• Drugs obtained by partial synthesis of natural
products.
• Natural products as models for synthesis of new
drugs
• Drugs of direct therapeutic uses

• Biosynthetic pathways investigation

• Cultivation and collection of medicinal plants
• Preparation of herbal formulation
• Development of tissue cultured plants
 Pharmacognosist
would serve as
• Academics – Colleges, universities, museums and
botanical garden
• Private industry – Pharmaceutical companies,
consumer product testing labs, herbal product
industry, cosmetic and perfume industry
• Government – Forensic labs, environmental labs
 Traditional and Alternative system of
medicine

Outline
• Sri Lankan traditional medicine
• Chinese traditional medicine
• Other traditional medicine
Intended Learning Outcome
• At the end of this lesson student should be able to
• Outline the different concepts followed in
traditional medicine
• Identify the plants used in traditional
medicine
2
 Traditional medicine
Definition- Traditional medicine can be defined as:
Medical practice that includes diagnosis,
prevention and treatment, relying on practical
experience and observations handed down from
generation to generation, whether verbally or in
writing.

4
 Traditional medicine in Sri Lanka
• Comprises four different systems: Ayurveda,
Siddha, Unani and Deshiya Chikitsa.
• In Ayurveda, therapeutic agents for curing
disease are mostly herbal preparations,
• In Siddha system - predominantly mineral
preparations.
• The Unani system differs from the other two in its
fundamental concepts.
• Deshiya Chikitsa uses mostly herbal preparations
as in Ayurveda
5
 Ayurveda
• The term “Ayurveda” (AYUR - life, VEDA -
Knowledge) -Science of life
• Three essential elements was the fundamental
concept of Ayurveda.
• They are classified into
1. VATA (Air, represents nervous sytem)
2. PITTA (liquid and energy- indicates
biochemical/energy system)
3. Kapha (solid and liquid- concerned with
integration of structural elements of the body)
7
 Ayurvedic dosage forms
• Arishtha- Medicated weak alcoholic liquors
prepared by fermentation
• Asava- Medicated alcoholic liquors prepared
by fermentation
• Vatika- Decoction of crude drug prepared and
converted to soft extrat to thick consistency
and mixed with powdered medicine to for pill
mass
• Churna- Powdered mixure of minerals animalor
vegetable mixed with equal amount of sugar and
taken with milk
• Tailas- Medicated oils for external applications
• Ghrita- medicated ghees or butter
o Curcuma longa
o Zingiber officinale
o Aloe vera
o Ocimum sanctum
o Moringa oleifera
o Tinospora cordifolia
o Withania somnifera
o Triphala- Terminalia chebula, Terminalia bellirica,
Emblica officinalis

10
 Siddha System of Medicine
• An ancient system of medicine believed to be laid
by Siddhas through yoga and bakthi
• Siddha medicine has been used for the
management of chronic diseases and degenerative
conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis,
autoimmune conditions, collagen disorders, and
conditions of the central nervous system.
• Identified with Dravidian culture
• Like Ayurveda have 3 humours Vatta, pitta, Kapha
 Five elements earth, water, sky, water, fire and
air
1. Papaver somniferum
2. Strychnos Nux-vomica
3. Euphobia nerifolia
4. Nerium indicum
5. Aloe-barbadensis
 Unani System of Medicine
• The root of the system was credited to Greek
and then it was carried to Persian (Iran) and
improved by Arabians.
• Based on two theories
Hippocratic theory of four humours
(Blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black
bile)
 Pythagorian theory four proximate qualities
(hot, cold, moist and dry)

•Aims at treating the cause of the disease not its

symptom
Drugs are poly herbal formulations and their
collective effect is considered
• Asparagus adscendens
• Achyranthes aspera
• Andrographis paniculate
• Asparagus racemosus
• Centella asiatica
• Emblica officinalis
• Terminalia belerica

14
 Deshiya Chikitsa
• Indigenous medicine practiced today in the
island is a amalgamation of Ayurveda
• Treatments based on the principle of
pacification and nourishment and has
three stages.
• Purva karma (preparing the body for the
pacification through minor purifications
therapies)
• Pradhana Karma (administering one or more
major pacification methods)
• Paschath Karma (nourishment - example -
rejuvenation) 15
 Traditional Chinese medicine
• First written evidence of Chinese medicine dated
back to 1100 B.C. containing a record of 52
prescriptions.
• The yin and yang concepts- Theory says that
every thing in the universe consist of a dark
and light side.
• According to this system disease conditions are
expressions of imbalance in Yin and Yang like
excess or deficiency of either of them.
• Once physical damage has occurred,
it will need more than emotional
factors to cure it and herbs will be
used.
• Methods used for diagnosis are examination of
the tongue, pulse diagnosis, palpation of
internal organs, massage and interviewing
• Treatment is to rectify harmony, restore qi
and the yin/yang balance.
• Pastes, pills, slow-release preparations are made
using beeswax pills; tonic wines, fermented
dough (with herbs in) and external poultices
are also common
• Ephidrica sinica
• Rheum palmatum
• Carthamus tinctorius
• Clerodendron trichotomum
• Panax ginseng

• Schisandra chinensis

• Schizonepeta tenuifolia
• Agastache rugosa

18
 Homeopathy System of Medicine
• Developed in 18th century by Dr. Samuel
Hahnemann- A German physician
• The system of therapy that he founded based
on the concept that disease can be treated
with drugs (in minute doses) thought capable of
producing the same symptoms in healthy people
as the disease itself.

Allopathy System of Medicine

The system of medical practice which treats disease
by the use of remedies which produce effects
different from those produced by the disease under
treatment. 19
• Naturopathy- A way of life based on laws of nature.
Paid attention to eating and living habits, use of
hydro therapy, mud packs, baths and massage
• Aromatherapy- Essential oils of from various parts
of plants are massaged into skin to treat range of
disease to have an effect on mind and emotions.

21
 Summary
• Each and every country has its own way of
treating diseases that has been practiced from
ancient time
• Traditional medicine system of Sri Lanka includes
Ayurveda, Unnani, Siddha and Desiya chikitsa
• Each of these traditional medicine uses different
concepts
• Ayurveda, Siddha, Desiya chikista, Chinese
traditional medicine, naturopathy and
aromatherapy uses herbals to treat disease

23
 Questions
1. Write down the medicinal value of the plants mentioned in the
presentation

2. Write five plants used in naturopathy and aromatherapy

22
 Classification System of Crude Drugs
Outline
• Classification of crude drugs
• Alphabetical classification
• Taxonomical classification
• Chemical classification

Intended Learning Outcome

At the end of this lesson student should be able to
• Explain taxonomical classification of crude drug
• Explain the chemical classification of crude drug
 Classification of crude drugs
• Crude drugs- Any naturally occurring unrefined
drug derived from sources such as plants and
animal
• For the study of the individual drugs a system of
classification should be adopted
• Method of classification should be
• Simple
• easy to use
• free from confusion and ambiguities
Crude drugs are classified in following different ways
• Alphabetical classification
• Taxonomical classification
• Chemical classification
• Chemo taxonomical classification
• Pharmacological classification
• Serotaxonomical classification
• Morphological classification
 Alphabetical classification
• Arranged in alphabetical order of their Latin or
English name or sometimes local (common) name
• Some of pharmacopoeias, dictionaries and
reference books that classify crude drugs
according to alphabetical order
Advantages
•It is easy and quick to use
•There is no repetition of entries and is devoid of
confusion
• In this system location, tracing and addition of
drug entries is easy.
Disadvantages
There is no relationship between previous and
successive drug entries.
 Taxonomical classification
• Classification of organisms in an ordered system
that indicates natural relationships
• The taxonomic organization of species is
hierarchical order of rank
• Each species belongs to a genus, each genus
belongs to a family and so on through order,
class, phylum/division and kingdom.
Example

Species Myristica fragrans

Genus Myristica

Family Myristicaceae

Order Magnoliales

Class Magnoliopsida

Division Magnoliophyta

Kingdom Plantae

Domain Eukarya
• Hierarchy reflect evolutionary relationships,
which are deduced typically from morphological,
physical and/ or molecular similarities between
species.

Advantages
1. Identification
Local name- botanical indices- flora
description- herbarium specimen

2.Nomenclature
Binomial system – Carl Linnaeus
Governed by International Code of Botanical
Nomenclature
• Vernicular name vs scientific name
• Name has 2 parts
• Rank

Rank Ending
Kingdom toe
Division phyta
class opsida
order ales
family aceae
 Chemical classification
• The crude drugs are divided in to different groups
according to the chemical nature of their most
important constituents
• Depending on the active constituents drugs can be

• Carbohydrate • Phenols
• Proteins • Tannins
• Lipids • Glycosides
• Volatile oils • Resins
• Vitamins • Terpenes
• Alkaloids
 Carbohydrate- Polyhydroxy aldehyde or ketones
containing unbroken chain of carbon atoms
Gums- Acacia, Tragacanth, Guargum
Mucilages- Plantago seed
Others- Starch, Honey, Agar, Pectin, Cotton

Proteins & Enzymes- Large biological

molecule composed of amino acids. Enzymes are
responsible for thousands of chemical inter-
conversions
Eg: Casein, Gelatin, Papain, Trypsin
 Lipids
large and diverse group of organic substance soluble
in organic solvents and insoluble in water
Fixed oil- Castor, Olive, Almond, Shark
liver oil Fats- Theobroma, Lanolin
Waxes- Beewax

Volatile oils- Concentrated hydrophobic liquid

containing volatile aroma also known as volatile oil.
Monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes obtained from
plants
Eg: cinnamon, fennel, coriander, cardamom, clove,
orange peel, mint
Alkaloids- Heterocyclic nitrogenous substance of
plant origin, mainly involved in defense against
plant pathogen or herbivores

Pyrdine & piperidine- Piperaceae, Nicotinia

Tropane- Solanaceae, Coca

Quinoline- Cinchona
Isoquinoline- Opium,Ipecac
Indole- Ergot, Rauwolfia,
Purina- Tea, coffee
Phenols - highly diverse group C6 (simple phenol,
benzoquinones), C6—C1 (phenolic acid), C6—C2
(acetophenone, phenylaceticacid), C6—C3
(hydroxycinnamicacid, coumarin, phenylpropanes,
chromones), C6—C4 (naphthoquinones), C6—C1—C6
(xanthones), C6—C2—C6 (stilbenes, anthraquinones),
C6—C3—C6 (flavonoids, isoflavonoids, neoflavonoids),
(C6—C3—C6)2,3 (bi-, triflavonoids), (C6—C3)2 (lignans,
neolignans), (C6—C3)n (lignins), (C6)n (catechol
melanins), and (C6—C3—C6)n (condensed tannins)

Flavonoids- polyphenolic compounds

Eg: Kaempherol- Apple, Tea, Brussels sprout
Apigenin- celery, green pepper, thyme
Glycosides- Upon hydrolysis gives one or more sugars
and non- sugar
Anthroquinione glycosides - Aloe, Senna, Cascara
Saponins glycosides – Glycorrhiza, Arjuna, Quillaia
Cyanophore glycosides- wild cherry bark
Isothiocynate glycosides- mustard
Cardiac glycosides- Digitalis, Strophantus
Bitter glycosides- Gentian, Calumba, Quassia
Tannins- Complex organic non-nitrogenous
derivatives of polyhydroxy benzoic acid
Eg: Pale catechu, Black catechu, Ashoka bark,
Amla

Resins- Hydrocarbon secretions of plants. Complex

mixture of compounds like resinols, resin acids,
resinotannols, resenes,
Eg: Colophony, Podophylum, Cannabis, Tumeric ,
Ginger
Terpenes- Grouped according to the number of
isoprene (C5H8) units in the molecule:
monoterpenes (C10H16); sesquiterpenes (C15H24),
three; diterpenes (C20H32), four; triterpenes
(C30H48), six; and tetraterpenes (C40H64), eight.
Rubber is a polyterpene (1,000–5,000).
Vitamin A - diterpene. Squalene - triterpene,
Carotenoid pigments are tetraterpenes.
 Classification System of
Crude Drugs -2
Outline
• Chemo taxonomical classification
• Pharmacological classification
• Serotaxonomical classification
Intended Learning Outcome
• At the end of this lesson student should be able to
• Explain Chemo taxonomical classification of
crude drug
• Explain pharmacological classification of crude
drug
• Explain serotaxonomical classification of crude
drug
 Chemo taxonomical classification
• Chemo taxonomy = Chemistry + Taxonomy
• Medicine in plants = Chemicals
• Similar sorts of plants have similar medicinal
properties and contain similar chemicals
• Chemotaxonomy classification and identification
of organisms (originally plants), according to
differences and similarities in their biochemical
composition
• Depends on the chemical similarities of a taxon
• Tropane alkaloids generally occur in most of the
members of Solanaceae
• Volatile oils occur in the members of
Umbelliferae and Rutaceae
A substance essential to the metabolism of a
particular organism or to a particular metabolic
process is called metabolites
Plant metabolites are divided in to 2 categories
1.Primary metabolite
2.Secondary metabolite
Primary metabolites are involved in growth,
development, and reproduction of the organism.
• Involves glycolysis, phosphate pentose pathway
and citric acid pathway
- Parts of vital metabolic pathways
- Universal in occurrence
• Form primary metabolites such as carbohydrate,
proteins and lipids and nucleic acids
• Presence or absence of such compound is not
taxonomic value
Secondary metabolites are substances which are
produced by plants as defense chemicals.
• Their absence does not cause bad effects to the
plants
- Perform non-vital function
- Less wide spread in plants

• Valuable as taxonomic information

•Chemotaxonomy of plants mainly depend on
secondary metabolites
• Derived from primary metabolites through
secondary metabolism includes shikimate
pathway, acetate pathway and mavolanate
pathway
 Pharmacological classification
• Grouping of drugs according to pharmacological
action or most important constituents or their
therapeutic use

Drugs acting on gastro-intestinal tract:

• Bitters - Gentian, Quassia, Cinchona
• Carminatives - Dill, Mentha, Cardamom
• Emetics - Ipecacuanha
• Anti-amoebics - Kurchi, Ipecauanha
• Bulk laxatives - Agar, Isapghula, Banana
• Purgatives - Senna, Castor oil
• Peptic ulcer - Derivatives of Glycyrrhetinic acid
Drugs acting on respiratory system:
Expectorant - Liqourice, Ipecacuanha, Vasaka
Antiexpectorant - Stramonium leaves (Atropine)
Antitussives - Opium (Codeine, Noscapine)
Brochodilators - Ephedra, Tea (Theophylline)

Drugs acting on cardio-vascular systems:

Cardiotonics - Digitalis, Squill, Strophanthus
Cardiac depressants - Cinchona (quinidine),
Veratrum
Vaso-constrictors - Ergot (ergotamine), Ephedra
Antihypertensives - Rauwolfia
 Drugs acting on autonomic nervous systems:
Adrenergics - Ephedra
Cholinergics - Physostima, Pilocarpus
Anticholinergics - Belladona, Datura

Drugs acting on CNS:

Central analgesics - Opium (morphine)
CNS Stimulants - Coffee ( caffeine)
Analeptics - Nux-vomica, Lobelia,
Camphor
CNS depressants - Hyoscyamus, Belladonna, opium,
Hallucinogenic - Cannabis, Poppy Latex
Antispasmodics:
Smooth Muscle Relaxants - Opium, Datura,
Hyoscyamus
Skeletal Muscle Relaxants - Curare
Anticancer: Vinca, Podophyllum, Taxus,
Camptotheca
Antirheumatics: Aconite, Colchicum, Guggul
Astringents: Myrobalan, Black Catechu
Advantages
Used for suggesting substitutes of drugs if they
are not available at a particular place or point
of time.
Disadvantages
Drugs having different action on the body gets
classified separately in more than one group that
causes ambiguity and confusion.
Eg; Cinchona - antimalarial drug (quinine) but
can be classified as antiarrythymic drug
(quinidine)
 Serotaxonomy
• Serology is defined as that portion of biology,
which is
concerned with the nature and interactions of
antigenic material and antibodies.
• Smith (1976) defined it as “the study of the origins
and properties of antisera.”
• When foreign cells or particles (antigens) are
introduced into an organism, antibodies are
produced in the blood (antiserum).
 Process of Serotaxonomy

• Protein extract from plant is extracted (antigen)

• Antigen injected into blood stream of the
experimental animal to form antibodies
• Experimental animal produces specific antibody
• Antisera made to react with the antigen and
proteins of other taxa
• The degree of coagulation are compared to know
the closeness of the taxa
 Classification System of
Crude Drugs-3
Outline
• Morphological classification

Intended Learning Outcome

• At the end of this lesson student should be able
to
• Explain Morphological classification of crude
drug
3
 Morphological classification
Crude drugs classified according to their
morphological characters
1.Organized/ cellular drugs
parts of the plants made of cells (roots, rhizome,
stem, bark, leaves)
2.Unorganized /acellular drugs
solid and liquid material which do not consist of
cells (latex, gum, extracts)
 Unorganized Drugs
• Dried latex– Opium, Papain
• Dried Juice– Aloe, Kino
• Dried extracts– Agar, Alginate, Black catechu, Pale
catechu, Pectin
• Waxes - Beeswax, Spermaceti, Carnauba wax
• Gums – Acacia, Guar Gum, Sterculia,
Tragacenth.
• Resins– Asafoetida, Benzoin, Colophony, Guggul
Tolu balsam, Sandarac
• Volatile oil– Turpentine, Anise, Coriander,
Peppermint, Sandalwood, Cinnamon, Lemon,
Caraway, Dill, Clove, Eucalyptus, Nutmeg,
Camphor 5
• Fixed oils and Fats– Castor, Coconut, Cotton seed,
Linseed, Olive, Sesame, Almond, Theobroma, Cod-
liver
• Animal Products – Bees wax, Cod-liver oil, Gelatin,
Honey, shellac, Spermaceti wax, wool fat, Lactose

• Fossil organism and Minerals– Bentonite, Kaolin,

Kiesslguhr, Talc.

7
 Organised Drugs
• Woods– Quassia, Sandalwood, Red Sandalwood
• Leaves– Digitalis, Eucalyptus, Gymnema, Mint,
Senna, Spearmint, Squill, Tulsi, Vasaka, Coca,
Hyoscyamus, Belladonna, Tea.
• Barks– Arjuna, Ashoka, Cascara, Cassia, Cinchona,
Cinnamon, Quillia, Wild cherry.
• Flowering parts– Clove, Pyrethrum, Saffron,
Santonica, Chamomile
• Fruits– Amla, Anise, Bael, Bahera, Bitter Orange
peel, Capsicum, Caraway, Cardamom, Colocynth,
Coriander, Cumin, Dill, Fennel, Gokhru, Hirda,
Lemon peel, Senna pod, Star anise, Tamarind,
8

Vidang.
.
• Seeds– Bitter almond, Black Mustard, Cardamom,
Colchicum, Ispaghula, Kaladana, Linseed, Nutmeg,
Nux vomica, Physostigma, Psyllium, Strophan thus,

• Roots and Rhizomes– Aconite, Ashwagandha,

Calamus, Calumba, Colchicum corm, Dioscorea,
Galanga, Garlic, Gention, Ginger, Ginseng,
Glycyrrhiza, Podophyllum, Ipecac, Ipomoea, Jalap,
Jatamansi, Rauwolfia, Rhubarb, Sassurea, Senega,
Shatavari, Turmeric, Valerian, Squill.
• Plants and Herbs– Ergot, Ephedra, Bacopa,
Andrographis, Kalmegh, Yeast, Vinca, Datura,
Centella.
Difference between organized and unorganized drugs
Organized drugs Unorganized drugs
Plant or animal origin Plant, animal or mineral
origin
Direct part of plant or The product of plant or
animal animals
These have cellular These do not have well
structure defined cellular structure
Generally identified by Generally identified by
morphological character organoleptic properties
Eg: digitalis leaf, cinchona Eg: agar, gelatin, honey
bark and ephedra stem
 Advantages
• Helpful to identify and detect adulteration.
• More convenient for practical study especially
when the chemical nature of the drug is not
clearly understood.

Disadvantages
• There is no co-relation of chemical
constituents with the therapeutic actions.
• Repetition of drugs or plants occurs.

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 Summary
• Classification of crude drugs
• Alphabetical classification
• Taxonomical classification
• Chemical classification
• Chemo taxonomical classification
• Pharmacological classification
• Serotaxonomical classification