Unit RECOGNITION OF MEDICINAL PLANTS AND THEIR DRUGS

Course
Pharmacy
Study-unit Code
A003567
Curriculum
In all curricula
Teacher
Maria Carla Marcotullio
Teachers
  • Maria Carla Marcotullio
Hours
  • 56 ore - Maria Carla Marcotullio
CFU
7
Course Regulation
Coorte 2024
Offered
2026/27
Learning activities
Caratterizzante
Area
Discipline farmaceutico-alimentari
Sector
BIO/15
Type of study-unit
Obbligatorio (Required)
Type of learning activities
Attività formativa monodisciplinare
Language of instruction
Italian
Contents
Knowledge of medicinal plants and their systematics. Knowledge of crude drugs and bioactive compounds on their formulation and quality control methods.
Reference texts
Capasso- Farmacognosia. Botanica, chimica e farmacologia delle piante medicinali-2011-Springer F. Poli- Biologia farmaceutica- Pearson A. Bruni- Farmacognosia generale e applicata-1999-Piccin Capasso, R., Borrelli, F., Longo, R., Capasso, F.-Farmacognosia applicata-2007- Springer Slides
Educational objectives
The student will know systematic plant groups, with reference to medicinal plants. Furthermore, he will be able to determine the pharmaceutical employ of plants and crude drugs, main pharmaceutical formulations containing plants, their therapeutic use, and the principal analytic methods.
Prerequisites
Knowledge of the main topics of plant biology and organic chemistry. For the final examination, students must have passed the exams of Plant biology.
Teaching methods
Didactic methods are mainly based on front lectures that will explain different topics with the help of slides. The classes are set as an interactive dialogue between student-teacher.
Other information
Attending the course is not compulsory, but is highly recommended.
Learning verification modality
Oral exam (30-40 min). The student will have to talk about a topic of botany, one of general pharmacognosy and one of special pharmacognosy. The student will have to recognize crude drugs presented during lessons.
For support to student, see: http://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa
Extended program
Aims and scope of pharmacognosy. Crude drug and parts used definition. From plants to crude drugs. Factors affecting the quality of crude drugs. Botanical-pharmacognostic control and phytochemical control, control of the production steps. Secondary metabolites and their pharmaceutical importance: carbohydrates, lipids, glycosides, terpenic compounds, iridoids, cannabinoids, anthraquinones, alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids and derivatives, tannins and polyphenols, coumarins, phenylpropanoids. Sustainability in the production of medicinal plants and bioactive compounds. Main topics of extraction methods of phytocomplexes and active compounds from crude drugs and fresh plant samples: infusion, decoction, maceration, digestions, percolation, distillation, supercritical fluids extraction, Soxhlet extraction, pressing. Crude drugs containing carbohydrates, terpenes, phenols, alkaloids, anthraquinones, adaptogen and saponins. Voluptuary crude drugs.
Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile
Health and wellness.