A Brief History of Pharmacognosy
A BRIEF HISTORY OF PHARMACOGNOSY In 780 AD , a Greek pharmaco-botanist Pedanios Dioscorides wrote and described about 600 plants with medicinal properties in his book “De materia medica libre cinque(concerning medical matter in five volumes). Galen was a Greek pharmacist-physician who lived in Rome and who describe the method of preparing formulas containing plant and animal drugs and the term ”galenical pharmacy” was originated. In 19th century material medica (medical matter) undergo divisions:
1. pharmacology – the actions of drugs
2. pharmacognosy – all aspects of drugs with lesser emphasis on action The word “pharmacognosy” formed from 2 Greek words pharmakon (drugs) and gnosis (knowledge) was introduced by C.A Seydler ( Chr. Aenotheus), a medical student in Halle/Saale, Germany who used the title Anaclectica pharmacognosthica for his dissertation in 1815 Fluckiger – presented the most comprehensive idea of the scope of Pharmacognosy which he define as the simultaneous application of various scientific disciplines with the object of acquiring knowledge of drugs. Pharmacognosy may be defined as “an applied science that deals with the biologic, biochemical and economic features of natural drugs and their constituents that originate in the plant and animal kingdom. Recent historical research has found an earlier usage of “Pharmacognosis” in book Lerbuch der Materia medica published in Vienna in 1811which was published By J.A. Schmidt to describe the study of medicinal plants and properties. In 19th century, chemist began to synthesize large number of organic compounds with structures of ever-increasing complexity, some of which were useful therapeutic agents. Thus there came 3 basic discipline devoted to drugs:
1. pharmacology which deals with drug actions and effects
2. pharmacognosy- covering all information on medicines from natural sources (plants,
1. pharmacology – the actions of drugs
2. pharmacognosy – all aspects of drugs with lesser emphasis on action The word “pharmacognosy” formed from 2 Greek words pharmakon (drugs) and gnosis (knowledge) was introduced by C.A Seydler ( Chr. Aenotheus), a medical student in Halle/Saale, Germany who used the title Anaclectica pharmacognosthica for his dissertation in 1815 Fluckiger – presented the most comprehensive idea of the scope of Pharmacognosy which he define as the simultaneous application of various scientific disciplines with the object of acquiring knowledge of drugs. Pharmacognosy may be defined as “an applied science that deals with the biologic, biochemical and economic features of natural drugs and their constituents that originate in the plant and animal kingdom. Recent historical research has found an earlier usage of “Pharmacognosis” in book Lerbuch der Materia medica published in Vienna in 1811which was published By J.A. Schmidt to describe the study of medicinal plants and properties. In 19th century, chemist began to synthesize large number of organic compounds with structures of ever-increasing complexity, some of which were useful therapeutic agents. Thus there came 3 basic discipline devoted to drugs:
1. pharmacology which deals with drug actions and effects
2. pharmacognosy- covering all information on medicines from natural sources (plants,