Download DEFINATION, HISTORY AND SCOPE OF PHARMACOGNOSY

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Plant parts which used as drugs
Unit 3
Plant parts which used as drugs
General principles of botany: morphology and systematics
How to define a pharmaceutical plant-derived drug from the botanical point of view ?
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A botanical drug is a product that is either:
1. Derived from a plant and transformed into a drug by drying certain plant parts, or
sometimes the whole plant, or
2. Obtained from a plant, but no longer retains the structure of the plant or its organs and
contains a complex mixture of biogenic compounds (e.g. fatty and essential oils, gums,
resins, balms)
(Isolated pure natural products are thus not “botanical drugs”, but rather chemically defined drugs
derived from nature)
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the following plant organs are the most important, with the Latin name that is used, for example in
international trade, in parentheses:
1. Aerial parts or herb (herba)
2. Leaf (folia)
3. Flower (flos)
4. Fruit (fructus)
5. Bark (cortex)
6. Root (radix)
7. Rhizome (rhizoma)
8. Bulb (bulbus)
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The large majority of botanical drugs in current use are derived from leaves or aerial parts.
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A plant-derived drug should be defined not only in terms of the species from which it is obtained but
also the plant part that is used to produce the dried product. Thus, a drug is considered to be
adulterated if the wrong plant parts are included (e.g. aerial parts instead of leaves)
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Plant parts which used as drugs
Taxonomy
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It is the science of naming organisms and their correct integration into the existing system of
nomenclature
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The names of species are given in binomial form: the first part of the name indicates the wider
taxonomic group, the genus; the second part of the name is the species.
Papaver somniferum L.
‫ﺍﳋﺸﺨﺎﺵ‬
Species: somniferum, here meaning ‘sleep- producing’
Genus: Papaver (a group of species, in this case poppies, which are closely related)
Family: Papaveraceae (a group of genera sharing certain traits)
L.: indicates the botanist who provided the first scientific description of the species and who
assigned the botanical name
Morphology of higher plants
1. Flower
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It is the essential reproductive organ of a plant.
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For an inexperienced observer, two characteristics of a flower are particularly noteworthy: the
size and the color
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Although the flowers are of great botanical importance, they are only a minor source of drugs
used in phytotherapy or pharmacy e.g. chamomile, Matricaria recutita L. (Asteraceae ).
2. Fruit and seed
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The lower plants, such as algae, mosses and ferns, do not produce seeds
Gymnosperm and Angiosperm
o Gymnosperm: they are characterized by seeds that are not covered by a secondary
outer protective layer, but only by the testa – the seed’s outer layer
o Angiosperm: the seeds are covered with a specialized organ (the carpels) which in turn
develop into the pericarp
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Drugs from the fruit thus have to be derived from an angiosperm species
Plant parts which used as drugs
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Fruits and seeds have yielded important phytotherapeutic products, including:
o Fruit
Caraway, Carum carvi L. (Umbelliferae)
o Seed
(white) mustard, Sinapis alba L. (Brassicaceae)
3. Leaves
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The function of the leaves, as collectors of the sun’s energy and its assimilation, results in their
typical general anatomy with a petiole (stem) and a lamina (blade)
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A key characteristic of a species is the way in which the leaves are arranged on the stem, they
may be:
1. Alternate
2. Distichous
3. Opposite
4. Decussate
5. Whorled
Plant parts which used as drugs
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The form and size of leaves are essential characteristics e.g. oval, oblong, obovate, rounded,
linear, lanceolate, elliptic, spatulate, cordate, hastate or tendril
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The margin of the leaf is another characteristic feature e.g. entire, serrate, dentate, sinuate,
ciliate or spinose
1. Numerous drugs contain leaf material as the main component. e.g. Deadly nightshade, Atropa
belladonna L. (Solanaceae)
4. Bark
2. The bark as an outer protective layer frequently accumulates biologically active substances e.g.
Red cinchona, Cinchona succirubra L. (Rubiaceae)
No stem-derived drug is currently of major importance
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Plant parts which used as drugs
5. Rhizome and root drugs
Underground organs of only a few species have yielded pharmaceutically important drugs e.g.
o Sarsaparilla, Smilax regelii (Smilacaceae)
o Korean ginseng, Panax ginsen (Araliaceae)
6. The bulbs and exudates
o Garlic, Allium sativum L. (Liliaceae)
o Aloe vera L. (Asphodelaceae)
Drug Classification
1. Alphabetical
2. Morphological
3. Chemical
4. Therapeutical
5. Injurious and Remedial
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Injurious
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Remedial
6. Psychoactive
7. Official and Unofficial
8. Taxonomic Systems
1.Alphabetical
The drugs are arranged in alphabetical order either using the Latin or English name.
2.Morphological
A. Organised drugs:
leaves, flowers, barks, roots and rhizomes, seeds, fruits, herbs and woods.
B. Unoganised drugs:
dried lattices, extracts, gums, resins, oils, fats and waxes.
3.Chemical
According to their important constituents e.g. drugs containing volatile oils, glycosides, alkaloids,
tannins etc.
4.Therapeutical
Plant parts which used as drugs
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According to the pharmacological action of their important constituents e.g., astringents, laxatives,
irritants, cardiotonics, CNS stimulants or depressants... etc.
5.Injurious and Remedial Medicinal Plants
–Injurious Plants (Poisonous Plants):
Plants that produces or induces the following effects:
e.g. internal poisons, allergy and cell modifiers (mutagens, teratogens and lectins).
–Remedial plants:
• Oral hygiene e.g. : Clove & Salvadora persica.
• Gastrointestinal tract e.g. : Rhubarb and Senna
• Respiratory system e.g. : Ephedra sp..
• Skin e.g. : Aloes
–Psychoactive plants:
• Stimulants e.g. Chamomile, Ephedra etc.
• Hallucinogens e.g.: Datura, Nutmeg etc.
• Depressants e.g.:Opium, Cannabis etc.
6.Official and unofficial
• Official drug plants are those described in book recognized by the government as legal authority
for standard (Pharmacopoeia)
• Others are unofficial.
7. Taxonomic Systems
The main subdivision of a phylum may be illustrated by the following example showing
systematic position of Mentha:-
• Division (phylum): Angiospermae
• Class: Dicotyledoneae
• Subclass : Sympetalae
• Order : Tubiflorae
• Suborder : Verbenineae
• Family : Labiatae (Lamiaceae)
• Subfamily : Stachydoidea
• Tribe : Satureieae
• Genus : Mentha.
• Species : Mentha piperita L (Peppermint) .
• Varieties : Mentha piperita var. officinalis Sole .
Mentha piperita var. vulgaris Sole.