Course: Pharmacognosy-I Course Instructor: Nishat Jahan

Pharmacy refers to the profession which is concerned with the handling of all aspects of chemical substances referred to as medicine or drugs. This includes knowledge of source (whether natural & synthetic), physical & chemical properties, good and bad effects on living organisms (including man), dose & dosage forms, formulation, compounding & manufacturing, quality control & assurance, storage, sale and finally law & ethics governing the manufacture, import, export & usage of drugs or poisons.

Pharmacists, also known as druggists are healthcare professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use. The role of the pharmacist has shifted from the classical "lick, stick, and pour" dispensary role (that is, "lick & stick the labels, count the pills & pour liquids"), to being an integrated member of the health care team directly involved in patient care.

Pharmacists undergo university-level education to understand biochemical mechanisms of action of drugs, drug uses and therapeutic roles, side effects, potential drug interactions and monitoring parameters. This is mated to education in anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology. Professional interpretation and communication of this specialized knowledge to patients, physicians and other health care providers are functions which pharmacists provide, and are central to the provision of safe and effective drug therapy.

The term 'pharmacognosy' was first coined and used by C.A. Seydler in 1815 in a small book he wrote on crude drugs, entitled "Analecta Pharmacognostica". It was derived from two Greek words: pharmakon, which means 'a drug', and gnosis, which means knowledge of, or gignosco, which means 'to acquire knowledge of’. Thus the literal meaning of pharmacognosy is: knowledge of drugs, or to acquire knowledge of drugs. Thus Pharmacognosy may be defined as the objective study of crude drugs and related substances of natural origin to acquire knowledge about their nature and properties. It may also be defined as an applied science which is concerned with acquiring knowledge of all aspects of crude drugs and other natural substances of pharmaceutical importance by the application of various scientific disciplines.

According to the American Society of Pharmacognosy- Pharmacognosy is the study of physical, chemical, biochemical & biological properties of drugs, drug substances or potential drugs or drug substances of natural origin as well as the search for new drugs from natural sources.

In other words, it may be said that Pharmacognosy is an important branch pharmacy, which deals with the scientific study of the structural, physical, chemical, biochemical and sensory characteristics of crude drugs and related substances of plant, animal and mineral origin. It also includes a study of their history, distribution, cultivation, collection, identification, preparation, evaluation, preservation, use and commerce.

Isolation & characterization of “active constituents” Isolation & characterization of “active constituents” Characterization of the pharmacology of crude extracts & active constituents Characterization of the pharmacology of crude extracts & active constituents Evaluation of quality of natural medicines Evaluation of quality of natural medicines Interdisciplinary relationship with ethnobotany & ethnopharmacology Interdisciplinary relationship with ethnobotany & ethnopharmacology

Ethnobotany is the study of the relationship between people and plants, Ethnobotany is the study of the relationship between people and plants, field includes studying plants as medicines, field includes studying plants as medicines, alternative methods for healing, as wild foods, as agricultural crops; modes of transportation; as clothing and in the religious ceremonies. alternative methods for healing, as wild foods, as agricultural crops; modes of transportation; as clothing and in the religious ceremonies. Ethnopharmacology is the scientific study correlating ethnic groups, their health, and how it relates to their physical habits and methodology in creating and using medicines. Ethnopharmacology is the scientific study correlating ethnic groups, their health, and how it relates to their physical habits and methodology in creating and using medicines.