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Unit 1

Pharmacognosy is the scientific study of crude drugs from plant, animal, mineral, and microbial sources, focusing on their structural, physical, chemical, and biological properties. The history of pharmacognosy dates back to ancient civilizations, with significant contributions from figures like Hippocrates, Dioscorides, and the Ayurvedic texts. It encompasses the cultivation, collection, and preparation of these drugs for medicinal use.

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Unit 1

Pharmacognosy is the scientific study of crude drugs from plant, animal, mineral, and microbial sources, focusing on their structural, physical, chemical, and biological properties. The history of pharmacognosy dates back to ancient civilizations, with significant contributions from figures like Hippocrates, Dioscorides, and the Ayurvedic texts. It encompasses the cultivation, collection, and preparation of these drugs for medicinal use.

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prasenjitbhattacharjee2010
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CHAPTER 1

Definition, History, Present Status & Scope of


Pharmacognosy

Pharmacognosy:-
Pharmacognosy is defined as the scientific and systematic study of structural, physical, chemical and
biological characters of crude drugs along with their history, method of cultivation, collection and
preparation for the market.
 The word Pharmacognosy is derived from Greek word, Pharmakon: A Drug and Gignosco : To
acquire the knowledge .

The Pharmacognosy is the subject of crude drugs obtained from the plant, Animals and Minerals origins.

Source of crude drugs:-


 Plant Source: - Neem, Babul, Tulsi, Saffron, Clove.
 Animal source: - Honey bee, bee wax, Silk, Insulin, Shark, Liver oil, Thyroid.
 Mineral source: - Chalk, bentonite, asbestos, talc, kaolin, Fuller's earth.
 Micro- Organism: - Antibiotics,
 Marine: - Salt, Protozoa, etc.

HISTORY OF PHARMACOGNOSY
Egyptians wear aware of medicinal uses of several plants and animals and also about human
anatomy.

The Greek physician Hippocrates (460- 360 B.C) known as 'Father of medicine'.
Aristotle the renowned philosopher (384 - 322 B.C.) is well known for his studies on animal
Kingdom and Theophrastus (370 - 287 B.C.) for the plants Kingdom.
Pedanius Dioscorides, (040- 080 A.D.) A Greek physician in 78 A.D. described several plants of
medicinal importance in "De Materia Medica", known as 'Father of Pharmacognosy'.
Pliny the Elder (23-70 A.D.) who compiled 37 volumes of natural history. Greek pharmacist
Galen (131 - 200 A.D.) described various methods of preparation containing active constituents of crude
drugs. The branch of dealing with the extraction of plant and animal drugs is known as Galenical
Pharmacy.
Indian history of medicinal plants is dated back to 3500 B.C. The curative properties of plants have
been mentioned in the Suktas Of Rigveda and Atharvaveda.
 Ayurveda has also described good number of plants with their therapeutic properties. The ancient
well known known treaties in Ayurveda the Charak Samhita and Susruta Samhita are written by
Charka And Susruta Respectively.

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