Pharmacognosy 1 - Practice

Data

Official data in SubjectManager for the following academic year: 2024-2025

Topic

Pharmacognosy covers general aspects of medicinal plants (such as industrial applications, research, cultivation and cultivars, gene technology, critical evaluation of holistic medicine and homeopathy, possibilities of phytotherapy) and discusses the chemical composition and other qualitative characteristics, as well as the most important areas of usage and pharmacology of herbal drugs and drug fractions such as oils and essential oils. Based on their previous pharmacobotanic knowledge students become acquainted with medicinal plants and drugs that are used in pharmacotherapy (especially in phytotherapy) both in Hungary and abroad. Students are required to recognize the most important tea drugs and drugs with strong physiological effect that are traded and/or imported in Hungary. In the frame of practices students obtain experience in drug analysis and identification methods and the ability to solve daily arising problems, with special emphasis on processing information from literature, databases and the internet.

Course objective and role in the curriculum: students should become familiar with plant materials and drugs, as well as their effective substances in general. During the practices, macroscopic and microscopic examinations of the drugs are organized.

Lectures

Practices

• 1. Introduction. Methods of analysis for medicinal plants in the European Pharmacopoeia. Investigation of Matricariae flos on the basis of the Ph.Eur. Drugs with carbohydrate content I. Microscopic distinction of starch grains.
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  2. Introduction. Methods of analysis for medicinal plants in the European Pharmacopoeia. Investigation of Matricariae flos on the basis of the Ph.Eur. Drugs with carbohydrate content I. Microscopic distinction of starch grains.
• 3. Introduction. Methods of analysis for medicinal plants in the European Pharmacopoeia. Investigation of Matricariae flos on the basis of the Ph.Eur. Drugs with carbohydrate content I. Microscopic distinction of starch grains.
• 4. Drugs with carbohydrate content II. Identification of unknown drugs based on pharmacopoeial descriptions.
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  5. Drugs with carbohydrate content II. Identification of unknown drugs based on pharmacopoeial descriptions.
• 6. Drugs with carbohydrate content II. Identification of unknown drugs based on pharmacopoeial descriptions.
• 7. Drugs with essential oil I. Organoleptic examination of essential oils. Identification of Lamiaceae-type glandular trichomes and essential oil cavities.
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  8. Drugs with essential oil I. Organoleptic examination of essential oils. Identification of Lamiaceae-type glandular trichomes and essential oil cavities.
• 9. Drugs with essential oil I. Organoleptic examination of essential oils. Identification of Lamiaceae-type glandular trichomes and essential oil cavities.
• 10. Drug identification test 1. Drugs with essential oil II. Identification of unknown drugs based on pharmacopoeial descriptions. Identification of Asteraceae-type glandular trichomes.
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  11. Drug identification test 1. Drugs with essential oil II. Identification of unknown drugs based on pharmacopoeial descriptions. Identification of Asteraceae-type glandular trichomes.
• 12. Drug identification test 1. Drugs with essential oil II. Identification of unknown drugs based on pharmacopoeial descriptions. Identification of Asteraceae-type glandular trichomes.
• 13. Drugs containing triterpene saponins. Distinction of Solidaginis herba and Solidaginis virgaureae herba based on micromorphological features.
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  14. Drugs containing triterpene saponins. Distinction of Solidaginis herba and Solidaginis virgaureae herba based on micromorphological features.
• 15. Drugs containing triterpene saponins. Distinction of Solidaginis herba and Solidaginis virgaureae herba based on micromorphological features.
• 16. Problem-based learning on medicinal plants.
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  17. Problem-based learning on medicinal plants.
• 18. Problem-based learning on medicinal plants.
• 19. Drug identification test 2. Drugs containing bitter substances I. Determination of the bitterness value by organoleptic evaluation.
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  20. Drug identification test 2. Drugs containing bitter substances I. Determination of the bitterness value by organoleptic evaluation.
• 21. Drug identification test 2. Drugs containing bitter substances I. Determination of the bitterness value by organoleptic evaluation.
• 22. General methods of analysis for drugs of plant origin. Accident and fire-protection instruction. Nitrate, nitrite detection in drinking water and nettle tea.
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  23. General methods of analysis for drugs of plant origin. Accident and fire-protection instruction. Nitrate, nitrite detection in drinking water and nettle tea.
• 24. General methods of analysis for drugs of plant origin. Accident and fire-protection instruction. Nitrate, nitrite detection in drinking water and nettle tea.
• 25. Written test. Analysis of drugs containing carbohydrates; honey adulteration test.
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  26. Written test. Analysis of drugs containing carbohydrates; honey adulteration test.
• 27. Written test. Analysis of drugs containing carbohydrates; honey adulteration test.
• 28. Written test. Analysis of fatty oils.
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  29. Written test. Analysis of fatty oils.
• 30. Written test. Analysis of fatty oils.
• 31. Separation and identification of carotenoids.
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  32. Separation and identification of carotenoids.
• 33. Separation and identification of carotenoids.
• 34. Written test. Analysis of drugs containing essential oil. Essential oil extraction for quantitative measurements, detection of essential oil components.
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  35. Written test. Analysis of drugs containing essential oil. Essential oil extraction for quantitative measurements, detection of essential oil components.
• 36. Written test. Analysis of drugs containing essential oil. Essential oil extraction for quantitative measurements, detection of essential oil components.
• 37. Written test. TLC examination of drugs containing bitter substances. Chemical reactions of cardiac glycosides.
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  38. Written test. TLC examination of drugs containing bitter substances. Chemical reactions of cardiac glycosides.
• 39. Written test. TLC examination of drugs containing bitter substances. Chemical reactions of cardiac glycosides.
• 40. Extraction and detection of alliin.
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  41. Extraction and detection of alliin.
• 42. Extraction and detection of alliin.

Seminars

Reading material

Obligatory literature

Literature developed by the Department

Notes

Bencsik T, Ács K, Farkas Á, Molnár P, Papp N, Horváth Gy (2015): Pharmacobotanical and phytochemical investigation of herbal drugs - Teaching supplement. University of Pécs

Recommended literature

Conditions for acceptance of the semester

Practices are compulsory.

Mid-term exams

In the case of failed practice result, there is no possibility to try the oral exam. Students need to take one practice oral presentation during semester. Final result of the practice will be included in the result of oral exam. Preparation of practice notebook is compulsory. There are 4 small written exams (drug identification practice) during semester.

Making up for missed classes

There is possibility to make up for the missed practices but with the course supervisor's permission.

Exam topics/questions

Not relevant.

Examiners

Instructor / tutor of practices and seminars

• Csikós Eszter
• Horváth Györgyi