Pharmacognosy

1. Ginger & Asafoetida
Dr.Prasanth B
Associate Professor
Nirmala College of Pharmacy,
Muvattupuzha

2. Ginger
• Synonyms Zingiber and Zingiberis.
• Biological Source: Ginger consists of dried
rhizomes of Zingiber officinale . Family
Zingiberaceae. Its outer skin is removed by
scraping, after which it is dried in the sun. Its
market name is Jamaica ginger.
• Geographical Source
• Ginger is native to South East Asia, though it is
cultivated in Caribbean islands, Africa, Australia,
Mauritius, Jamaica, Taiwan , and India. More than
35% of world‘s ginger is produced in India.

6. • Morphology
1.Shape:Laterally flattened pieces with flattened oblique ovate
branches or fingers on the upper side.
2. Each branch1-3 cm long, depression of stem scar at the apex.
3.Branching sympodial, (growth of rhizome takes place from
lateral bud eg: ginger, turmeric)& horizontal rhizome.
4.Longtitudinally striated outer surface with ocassional fibres.
5.Fracture: short and fibrous.
6. Colour: Buff coloured.
7.Odour: Agreeable aromatic odour and agreeable pungent taste.

7. T.S of Ginger

8. • Transverse Section of Ginger
• 1) Cork: It comprises of irregularly arranged cells,
followed by cortex.
• 2) Cortex: It comprises of thin walled parenchymatous
tissue. It is distinguished from stele by a well-marked
endodermis. Many closed collateral fibro-vascular
bundles are enclosed within the cortical tissue. Oleo-
resin cell are present in cortex.
• 3) Vascular Bundles: They are present just inside the
endodermis and are free of fibres.
• 4) Endodermis is free of starch, and oleo -resinous cells
and starch grains are found all over the ground tissue.

9. Powder Microscopy
1.Unlignified vessels
with reticulate
thickening.
2.Septate Xylem
fibres surrounding
the vessels.
3.Secretion cells of
oleoresin embedded
in parenchyma.
4.Sac shaped Statch
grains

10. Chemical constituents
• Ginger contains 1 -4% of volatile oil,
• Ginger oil contains monoterpene hydrocarbons ,
sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, oxygenated mono and
sesquiterpenes, and phenylpropanoids.
• Sesquiterpenes-Zingiberene, Beta-bisabolene, alpha-
farnesene, Beta-sesquiphellandrene, and alpha-
curcumene.
• The main characters of ginger are aroma and flavour.
Its aroma is because of the fragrant principles of
volatile oils, whereas the flavour, pungency and
pharmacological actions are produced by the phenolic
ketones of oleo-resin.

11. • Phenolic ketones of oleo -resin include gingerols
such as shogaols, zingerone.
• Identification test:
• The pungency of ginger powder, which is mainly
due to gingerol is destroyed by boiling with 2%
Potassium hydroxide for 10 mts.
• Chemical Test
• To 1gm of pulverised ginger, 5ml of dilute acetic
acid (prepared by diluting 1 part of glacial ac etic
acid with 1 part of water) is added and shake n for
15 minutes. The resultant mixture is filtered. A
few drops of ammonium oxalate TS is added to
the filtrate, which gives rise to a slight turbidity.

12. • Uses
• 1) It is used as an anti-emetic, and its aromatic ,
carminative and absorbent properties improve the effects
of motion sickness directly in the GI tract.
• 2) Gingerols and shogaols show cardiovascular activity by
the inhibition of prostaglandin synthetase, and hence
hindering prostaglandin biosynthesis.
• 3) It possesses antiplatelet aggregation property because of
the inhibition of thromboxane synthesis.
• 4) It is also used for lowering cholesterol levels by
inhibiting cholesterol biosynthesis.
• 5) It also shows antitussive, anti-pyretic and analgesic
properties.
• 6) Its rhizomes show fungicidal, antibacterial and
anthelmintic properties.
• 7) Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons are the reason for its anti-
ulcer activity.

13. Adulterants
As ginger grows underground, it gets
contaminated with worms and insect
remains.
It can also be adulterated with other
vegetable adulterants, and this can be
detected by microscopic examination.
Adulteration of ginger can also be done
with Exhausted or spent ginger, which is
a ginger from which the essence has
been extracted, due to which it produces
lower than official standards for extracts.
For increasing pungency, ginger is
sometimes adulterated with capsicum or
grains of paradise.

14. Official Source: Asafoetida (Ferula asafoetida) is an
oleo-gum-resin obtained from the stems
of Ferula plants belonging to the family Umbelliferae.

15. • Macroscopic Features
• 1) Colour: Yellowish-white changing to reddish-brown.
• 2) Odour: Intense, persistent, penetrating, and
alliaceous.
• 3) Taste: Bitter, alliaceous, and acidic.
• 4) Shape: Occurs in 2 different formsTears are rounded
or flattened. , i.e., tears and masses.
• 5) Size: Tears are 0.5-3cm in diameter.
• 6) Extra Features: Fresh tears are tough, which on
drying becomes hard and brittle. The inner surface of
tears is milky whitish -yellow, translucent, or opaque.
Mass of asafoetida is agglutinated and mixed with root
fragments, foreign materials, and other impurities

16. • Chemical Constituents
• Asafoetida contains resin (40-65%), gum (20-25%), and
volatile oil (4-20%).
• The chief resin of asafoetida is asaresinotannol
present either in free form or is combined with ferulic
acid . Asafoetida does not contain free umbelliferone.
• Ferulic acid when treated with hydrochloric acid,
converts into umbellic acid, which forms
umbelliferone by losing water(Principle in chemical
test).
• Asafoetida oil is obtained by steam distillation of the
oleo -gum resin. The oil contains secondary butyl
propenyl disulphide as its chief constituent.
• The sulphur compounds imparts odour to asafoetida.

17. • Chemical Tests
• 1) On treating its fractured surface with sulphuric
acid, a red or reddish -brown colour appears.
• 2) On adding 50% nitric acid to the fracture
surface, a green colour appears.
• 6) Combined Umbelliferone Test:If the drug is in
tear form, it is triturated with sand. About 0.5gm
of the drug is boiled with 3ml of hydrochloric acid
and 3ml of water for 5-10 minutes. The resultant
mixture is filtered, and an equal volume of
alcohol and excess of strong solution of ammonia
are added to the filtrate. A blue fluorescence
appears due to the presence of combined
umbelliferone.

18. • Uses
• 1) It is used as an antispasmodic, carminative,
expectorant, and laxative.
• 2) Asafoetida is traditionally used for the
treatment of different diseases, such
as whooping cough, asthma, ulcer, epilepsy,
stomachache,
flatulence, bronchitis, intestinal
parasites, antispasmodic, weak digestion and
influenza.
• 3) It is also a powerful nervine stimulant, used
in nervous disorders related to hysteria.

20. • Adulterant
• Asafoetida is adulterated with gum arabic,
rosin, gypsum, red clay, chalk, and barley or
wheat flour.