It defines the history and scope of pharmacognosy if it is useful for you than please like it and if you need this than mail me on this nathankur031@gmail.com

1. History of Pharmacognosy
Primitive age: In this stage treatment of disease
started. In this age started the man-made medicines by
using of plants for treatment of medicines, but this
information was passed only through by the words of
mouth.
Pre-Christian era: the available records shows that
Chinese medicines are the oldest medicines, they had
known about ephedrine (mahuang in Chinese) even in
every early days. The following are the important
stages in the history of pharmacognosy.

2. 3500 – 1500 BC Ayurveda described the use of
medicinal plants
1500 BC Ebers Papyrus of Egyptians
describes the medicinal value of plants.
460 – 370 BC Hippocrates known for his oath
administer to doctor.
384 – 322 BC Aristotle known for his works
on animal kingdom.
370 – 287 BC Theophrastus known for his
writings on plants kingdom.
The era after Christ: The period in the history of
pharmacognosy is marked by the following important
events
1.Description of a variety of medicinal plants by
Dioscorides in the first century AD.
2.Preparation of plant and drugs described by Galen
in 200 AD.
3.Introduction of the term Pharmacognosy by
Anotheus Seydler in 1815.

3. Modern Pharmacognosy: starting from 1815, there
was rapid growth in the subject of pharmacognosy. This
was due to development of various methods of
isolation and characterization of active principles.
Isolation of Penicillin by Alexander Flemming in 1992
and isolation of streptomycin by Walksman in 1994 are
some important developments. In recent times the
emphasis is on substitutes of naturally occurring drugs.
The science of pharmacognosy still grows with the
growth of other sciences like chemistry, biochemistry,
pharmacology and also modern method of isolation,
synthesis etc.

4. Scope of Pharmacognosy
It has broad scope in the field of pharmacy such as
1.Isolation of phytochemical: It helps to isolate a
chemical constituent from plants or animals.
i. Glycosides from digitalis leaves.
ii. Morphine from opium
2.Structure activity relationship: It helps to Know
about the property of drugs by observing its
structure and activity.
3.Models for synthesis of new drugs: It shows as
models for synthesis of new drug substances.
Example. Cocaine for local anaesthesia.
4.Drugs of direct therapeutic uses: Some of the
drugs that is used as directly for the treatment or
the drugs that is not replaced by any other
substance. Example. Antibiotic.
5.Biosynthetic pathways investigation: It helps to
investigate the biosynthetic pathways. Example.

5. Shikimic acid pathway of aromatic compound,
Clavin’s pathway of photosynthesis.
6.Cultivation and collection of medicinal plants: It
helps in the cultivation and collection of medicinal
plants. Example. Senna, cinchona, clove, opium
etc.
7.Preparation of herbal formulation: It helps in the
preparation and formulation of herbal products.
Example. Churnas, asvas, aristas, lehiyas ect.
8.Development of tissue cultures: It helps in the
development of tissue culture.