Department of Pharmacognosy

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About the Department

Pharmacognosy is the branch of science that deals with the study of crude drugs obtained from natural sources like plants, animals and mineral origin. It is also used to study the physical, chemical, biochemical and biological properties of different crude drugs as well as the phytochemicals derived from natural sources. It also includes the research for new drugs from natural sources.

Pharmacognosy covers the following areas:

  • Medical ethno botany – It is the study of traditional use of plants for medicinal purposes.
  • Study of Phytotherapy – It is about the medicinal uses of plant extracts.
  • Ethno pharmacology – The study of pharmacological properties of traditional medicinal substances.
  • Phytochemistry – The study of chemicals derived from plants which includes the identification of new compounds derived from plant sources.
  • Marine Pharmacognosy- Study of different marine sources and the chemicals derived from marine organisms with high medicinal value.

Activities

The department is involved in the curriculum which helps the students to attain an in-depth knowledge about plant taxonomy, identification by its morphological characters and understanding the chemical constituents and therapeutic uses of traditional crude drugs as well as crude drugs belonging to different group of chemical constituents like Alkaloids, Glycosides, Flavonoids, Saponins, Terpenoids, Resins etc.

As practical knowledge is very important in Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, pharmacognostical evaluation of crude drugs includes Physical and chemical evaluation of crude drugs are necessary to identify the authentic drugs and their adulterants.

The department is also effectively involved in researches in laboratory techniques like extraction of crude drugs and volatile oil, isolation of Phyto compounds, Phytochemical screening of herbal drugs and chromatographic analysis of Herbal Extracts.

Facilities

The Laboratory is well equipped with Trinocular, Compound and electron microscopes for studying the Microscopical characters and Simple microscopes to study the morphological characters of crude drugs. Extraction units like Soxhlet apparatus for the preparation of herbal extracts, Clavenger apparatus for hydro distillation of Volatile oil, TLC plates, TLC spreader and TLC chamber, Camera Lucida mirror type, stage micrometers, eyepiece micrometers for Quantitative microscopy, Hot air oven, Muffle furnace for determination of Ash values. Heating mandles, water bath, Electronic balance, Dispensing balance, mechanical stirrers etc.

A well established Medicinal Herbal Garden with number of Medicinal plants each with naming board containing its botanical name, family, chemical constituents and uses is an added advantage for our students to acquire knowledge about the growth and maintenance of the medicinal Plants and its preservation.