Pharmacognosy-I
Sumbal Kibria
Assistant Professor
Rawal College of Pharmacy Islamabad
Family Solanaceae
.
Plants Included:
Belladonna
Hyoscyamus
Stramonium
Capsicum
Atropa Belladonna
The name of the plant comes from the Greek word “Atropos” and refers
to one of the three Fates in Greek mythology, who cut the thread of life.
“Bella-donna” is an Italian phrase meaning “beautiful lady.” This name
was given to the plant because the ladies of Venice used Atropa
Belladonna as a cosmetic (due to the mydriasis caused by its use).
Belladona:
Common name: Deadly night shade,Beanwort, Poison Black cherry,
foxglove.
Botanical origin: Atropa belladonna
Part used: Dried leaf and flowering top with branches
Geographical sources: Central and southern Europe and Asia Minor
Plant description:
• A bushy perennial herb
• Dichotomously branched stem
• Alternate leaves
• Broadly ovate
entire or nearly entire margin
• Tapering at base
• Solitary flowers, rarely in clusters of 2 or 3.
• Axillary
• Drooping
• Calyx deeply 5-cleft
• Corolla dull greenish-purple or reddish purple
• Fruit is a sub-globular black berry with
persistant calyx.
Description of part used:
• Usually occur leaves and
tops with stem segments
• Leaves are mostly broken
or crumpled
• Entire leaves are 6-20 cm
in length, 4-12 cm in
breadth
• Broadly ovate
• Slightly hairy
• summit acute to acuminate
• Entire margin
• Light green to moderate
olive green
Constituent:
1. Alkaloids
2. L-Hyoscymine
3. D-Hyoscymine
4. Atropine
5. Apoatropine
6. Belladonine
7. Scopolamine (hyoscine)
8. Chrysatropic acid
Tropane Alkaloids
Belladona root:
It occurs as cylindrical and some what tapering
segments of roots
Frequently cut longitudinally
With few stem bases either attached or separate
0.5-4 cm thick
Externally weak brown to moderate yellowish brown
Longitudinally wrinkled
If outer periderm is removed then light colored
patches will become visible.
Fracture nearly smooth, mealy
Possess strong peculiar narcotic odor on
boiling.
Constituents:
Tropane Alkaloids
Atropine
Hyoscymine
Apoatropine (anhydride of atropine, devoid of
mydriatic action)
Belladonine
Scopolamine (hyoscine)
Uses:
Parasympathetic depressant
spasmolytic
Mydriatic
To relax over contracted smooth muscle
Ulcerative collitis
Diarrhea
Pancreatitis
diverticulitis
Hyoscyamus:
Common names:
Henbane, black henbane
Botanical origin:
Hyoscyamus niger
Hyoscymus muticus (Egyptian henbane)
Part used:
The dried leaves with or without the flowering tops
Geographical sources:
Growing wildly in UK and Europe and Asia and cultivated widely.
PLANT DESCRIPTION:
• Biennial or annual herb
• Growing to a height of 0.6-1.4 m
• Underground portion consist of a large, brown,
fleshy, branching root
• Aerial portion of first year plant (biennial variety)
consist of a very short stem, bearing rosette of
leaves which are petiolate, hairy, ovate-
lanceolate.
• In the second year it bears pubescent branching
stem.
• The flowers usually appear on the biennial variety in May and
June and on the annual variety in July and August.
• Flowers are arranged as one sided spikes
• Fruit is a persistant 2-celled Pyxis, enclosed in persistant calyx.
• Flowers are urn-shaped, pale yellow with purple veins and a
purple neck.
Description of part used:
• The drug occurs as wrinkled and broken leaves.
• Entire leaves have length of 26 cm and breadth
of 10cm
• Ovate- ovate oblong
• In equilateral
• Lower leaves are petiolate
• Upper leaves are sessile
• Acute apex
• Glandular hairy (especially on lower surface)
Inflorescence elongates into leafy, one-sided spikes.
• The leaves and flowering should be collected while the
plants are in full bloom.
• They should be dried in shade.
• Plant surface is sticky in nature if not perfectly dried
because of secretions produced by glandular hairs.
Constituents:
Hyoscymine
Scopolamine (hyoscine)
Hyoscypicrin (a glycoside)
Volatile oils
Uses:
It used to relieve spasms of urinary of urinary tract.
Antispasmodic (Buscopan)
Stramonium
Common name: NJIMSO WEED,JAMES TOWNWEED
Botanical origin:Datura stramonium
Part used: Dried leaves and flowering or fruiting tops
Geographical sources: indigenous to Caspian sea, naturalized in
waste places in Europe.
Plant description:
Plant is annual herb, attains the height of 2m.
The leaves and tops are collected when plant is in flower and
are carefully dried and preserved.
Constituents
Hyoscyamine
Scopolamine
Traces of atropins
Uses:
Anticholinergic
Vapours are used to relief asthma
Poisoning:
Produce poisoning in children when seeds are ingested.
Symptoms include dilated pupil, dry skin, impaired vision, and
loss of conscious ness.
