BP405T: Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry I

Unit I: Introduction to Pharmacognosy

• Definition, history, and scope of pharmacognosy.
• Sources of drugs: Plants, animals, marine, and tissue culture.
• Organized drugs and unorganized drugs (dried latex, dried juices, dried extracts, gums, mucilage, oleoresins, and oleo-gum resins).
• Classification of drugs: Alphabetical, morphological, taxonomical, chemical, pharmacological, chemo-taxonomical, and sero-taxonomical classification.

Unit II: Quality Control of Drugs of Natural Origin

• Adulteration of drugs of natural origin and methods of evaluation.
• Organoleptic, microscopic, physical, chemical, and biological methods of evaluation.
• Quantitative microscopy of crude drugs, including the lycopodium spore method, leaf constants, and camera lucida for microscopic objects.

Unit III: Cultivation, Collection, Processing, and Storage of Drugs of Natural Origin

• Cultivation and collection techniques for medicinal plants.
• Factors influencing medicinal plant cultivation.
• Plant hormones and their applications in plant growth.
• Polyploidy, mutation, and hybridization techniques for medicinal plants.
• Conservation methods for medicinal plants.

Unit IV: Plant Tissue Culture

• Historical development and types of plant tissue cultures.
• Nutritional requirements, growth conditions, and maintenance.
• Applications of plant tissue culture in pharmacognosy.
• Concept and application of edible vaccines.

Unit V: Secondary Metabolites and Phytochemistry

• Pharmacognosy in Various Systems of Medicine
• Role of pharmacognosy in allopathy, Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy, and Chinese medicine.
• Study of Biological Sources, Chemical Nature, and Uses of Natural Drugs
• Plant Products: Fibers such as Cotton, Jute, and Hemp.
• Tannins: Catechu, Pterocarpus.
• Resins: Benzoin, Guggul, Ginger, Asafoetida, Myrrh, Colophony.
• Glycosides: Senna, Aloes, Bitter Almond.
• Iridoids, Terpenoids & Naphthaquinones: Gentian, Artemisia, Taxus, and Carotenoids.
• Modern Methods in Phytochemistry
• Isolation, Identification, and Analysis of Phytoconstituents:
  • Terpenoids: Menthol, Citral, Artemisinin.
  • Glycosides: Glycyrrhetinic acid, Rutin.
  • Alkaloids: Atropine, Quinine, Reserpine, Caffeine.
  • Resins: Podophyllotoxin, Curcumin.
• Industrial Production and Estimation of Phytoconstituents:
  • Forskolin, Sennoside, Artemisinin, Diosgenin, Digoxin, Atropine, Podophyllotoxin, Caffeine, Taxol, Vincristine, Vinblastine.
• Techniques in Phytochemistry:
  • Modern methods of extraction.
  • Spectroscopy, Chromatography, and Electrophoresis for isolation, purification, and identification of crude drugs.