Pharmacognosy, its main concept and tasks Pharmacognosy, its main concept and tasks. Storing up, drying and preserving of medicinal plants (herbs) and their raw stuff

Plan 1. The notion of Pharmacognosy. Historical information. 2. Basic concepts and terminology of Pharmacognosy. 3. Chemical composition of medicinal plants. 4. Methods of pharmacognostical analysis

Pharmacognosy is a science dealing with comprehensive complex study of medicinal plants, medicinal raw materials of both vegetable and animal origin, as well as products of their primary processing. The term "pharmacognosy" is considered to be entered by German scientist K. Zaydler in 1815. The term means word for word: pharmacon (Greek) -poison, gnosis (Roman) - knowledge, studies, i.e. – studies about medicines and poisons. The Greek "pharmakon" comes from the ancient Egyptian "Pharmacy," which means “defender, healer." It was the name of the god Toth in ancient Egypt. He was the patron of the medical affairs. Pharmacognosy is "the doctrine of drugs and poisons." The name wasn’t given accidentally. Paracelsus (1493-1541) wrote: "Everything is a poison, nothing is deprived of virulence and everything is a medicine. Only a dose makes a substance either a poison or a drug."

Modern pharmacognosy Modern pharmacognosy is a highly specialized science dealing with biological, biochemical and medicinal properties of plants, natural raw material and its products. The subject of study in pharmacognosy are MP, MRM of vegetable, rarer of animal origin.

Basic concepts and terminology of Pharmacognosy

Medical plants (Planta medicinalis) Medical plants (MP) are plants (wild or cultivated) used for medicinal purposes. For example: Mentha piperita -- Peppermint

Medicinal plant material (MPM) Medicinal plant material (MPM) are entire medicinal plants or their parts, used in dried (sometimes in fresh) forms in order to obtain medicinal substances, plant drug preparations (phytopharmaceutical) or other medicines, permitted fore medicinal use. For example: Menthae folium

Herbal medicines Herbal medicines derived from specific parts of a medicinal plant are known as herbal medicinal products (HMPs), herbal remedies or phytomedicines. Herbal medicines include herbs, herbal materials, herbal preparations and finished herbal products. Herbs include crude materials which could be derived from lichen, algae, fungi or higher plants, such as leaves, flowers, fruit, fruiting bodies, seeds, stems, wood, bark, roots, rhizomes or other parts, which may be entire, fragmented or powdered. Crude drugs are vegetable or animal drugs that consist of natural substances that have undergone only the processes of collection and drying.

Medicinal products Medicinal products are substances or their mixtures of natural, synthetic or biotechnological nature, used for prophylaxis, diagnosis and treatment of human diseases, or intended to change the physiological state and functions of the organism.

Medicinal plant products Medicinal plant products may be divided into the following groups: 1). crude products (powder, tea, herbal collections) 2). galenical and neogalenical phytopharmaceuticals (hidroalcogolic tinctures, fluid extracts) 3). primary processed plant products (volatile and fixed oils, resins) 4). individual principles (alkaloids, glycosides).

Herbal materials Herbal materials include, in addition to herbs, fresh juices, gums, fixed oil, essential oils, resins and dry powders of herbs. In some countries, these materials may be processed by various local procedures, such as steaming, roasting or stir baking with honey, alcoholic beverages or other materials.

Biologically active substances Biologically active substances affect the biological processes in human and animal organisms. Medicinal substances are the biologically active substances that may change the physiological state and function of the organism, may have the prophylactic, diagnostic or therapeutic effects and be used in manufacturing of medicinal preparations. These active constituents are differentiated from inert constituents, which also occur in plant and animal drugs.

Chemical composition of medical plants

Substances of primary synthesis Substances of primary synthesis are formed in the process of assimilation, i.e. transformation of substances entering the organism from the outside, into the substances of the organism itself (cell protoplast , reserve substances, etc.). The substances of primary synthesis include amino acids, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, enzymes, vitamins and organic substances.

Substances of secondary synthesis are formed in plants as a result of dissimilation. Dissimilation is the process of dissolution of the primary synthesis of substances into simpler substances, accompanied by energy. From these simple substances emitted to the cost of energy form the substance of secondary synthesis. For example, glucose (the primary agent of synthesis) dissociates into acetic acid, which is synthesized into mevalonic acid and through the series of intermediate products are formed all terpenes. The substances of secondary synthesis include terpenes, glycosides, phenolic compounds, alkaloids. All of them are involved into metabolism and fullfil some important functions for the plants.

Substances of secondary synthesis Substances of secondary synthesis are formed in plants as a result of dissimilation. Dissimilation is the process of dissolution of the primary synthesis of substances into simpler substances, accompanied by energy. From these simple substances emitted to the cost of energy form the substance of secondary synthesis. For example, glucose (the primary agent of synthesis) dissociates into acetic acid, which is synthesized into mevalonic acid and through the series of intermediate products are formed all terpenes. The substances of secondary synthesis include terpenes, glycosides, phenolic compounds, alkaloids. All of them are involved into metabolism and fullfil some important functions for the plants.

Standardization of medicinal plant materials Standardization of medicinal plant materials is a determination of identity, quality and other features by their comparison with the standard requirement. EU – Quality of Herbal Medicinal Products. WHO – Quality Control Methods for Medicinal Plant Materials. Quality control methods (QCM) -- , controlling the medicinal plant materials quality in pharmaceutical industry in Ukraine, are the Pharmacopoeia Monographs. Pharmacopoeia Monograph establishes requirements to a medicinal products, medical plant materials as well, as their package, conditions of preservation, methods, employed in evaluating medicinal prodacts

Pharmacopoeia Monographs of the State Pharmacopoeia of Ukraine (SPU) Pharmacopoeia Monographs of the SPU (State Pharmacopoeia of Ukraine) for medicinal plant materials comprise Ukraine and Latin names of plant material; nominations of used part; contents of active compounds; morphological and microscopical characters of MPM; chromatographic test for identity of markers; quality tests (foreign matter; loss on drying, or water content, total ash; ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid; extractable matter); techniques for quantitative determination of major active principles.

Methods of pharmacognostical analysis Methods of pharmacognostical analysis is the complex of methods allowing to determine the identity, purity and quality of MPM; it includes the macroscopic, microscopic and phytochemical methods and commodity research method (definition of numerical parameters), sometimes the biological method.

Macroscopic analysis MPM Macroscopic analysis is the study of morphological signs of MRM with the naked eye or with the help of magnifying glass and the selection of diagnostic, i.e. the specific features of this MRM. Macroscopic analysis includes the study of the appearance of raw material, the measurement of its separate parts, the performance of organoleptic samples.

Microscopic analysis of MPM Microscopic analysis of MPM is the study of the anatomic structure of raw material and the identification of all variety of diagnostic features. The specific diagnostic features of the investigated kind are listed in the particular PhA.