The flora and fauna of mother earth has a great diversity. The number of plant species divided in about 300 families and 10,500 genera are supposed to be about 2–2.5 lacs.
INTRODUCTION
The flora and fauna of mother earth has a great diversity.
The number of plant species divided in about 300 families and 10,500 genera are
supposed to be about 2–2.5 lacs. At least 100–150 species of medicinal plants
are currently cultivated and about 30–40 of them are the large-scale field
corps. Drugs of the animal and mineral origin have also been used since the
beginning and even today many such crude drugs are important, commercial
products. All these drugs of natural origin have been used as the curative
agents and even in this age of scientific discoveries and invention, natural
drug have been the primary choice as a source of drug. Human inquisitiveness
has gone beyond the terrestrial regions and exploited the seas and oceans which
contain about 5 lacs species of marine organisms. Therapeutically active
constituents found in these organ-isms open yet another great natural source of
drugs of unending search.
Crude drugs can be regarded as the substances either used
directly or indirectly as a drug which have not been changed or modified in its
chemical composition.
The crude drugs of natural origin can be divided into two
main categories as organized crude drugs and unorganized crude drugs.
Organized Drugs
Organized drugs consist of the cellular organization in the
form of anatomical features. These are mostly the crude drugs from plant
sources. Almost all of the morphological plant parts or the entire plant
itself can be called as an organized drugs. A long list can be made of such
crude drugs. To mention few of them, like, Cinchona bark, Sandalwood, Quassia
wood, Senna, Digitalis leaves, Nux vomica seeds, Rauwolfia roots and many other
examples of above-mentioned groups or crude drugs exemplified by some other
morphological organs can be quoted as the example of organized crude drugs
Microscopical and anatomical studies are preeminent for such
crude drugs. These can be used directly in medicine or can be used by modifying
or by extracting the active ingredient from it. The simple medicines prepared
from these drugs are herbal teas, extracts, tinctures, etc., and it may be
extensively processed for the isolation and purification of pure
therapeutically active constituent which is ultimately responsible for the
action of the drug.
Unorganized Drugs
The unorganized drugs do not have the morphological or
anatomical organization as such. These are the products which come directly in
the market but their ultimate source remains the plants, animals or minerals.
Microscopical studies are not required for such crude drugs. These includes
products like plant exudates as gums, oleogums, oleogumresins, plant lattices
like that of opium, aloetic juices like aloes or dried extracts of black and
pale catechu, agar, alginic acid, etc., are products coming under this group.
Other products like essential oils, fixed oils, fats and waxes obtained from
vegetable or animal sources, although hydro-distilled or extracted from plant,
become the direct commodity for use. Unorganized crude drugs may be
miscellaneous mineral products like shilajit.
These products may be solid, semisolid or liquid and the physical, chemical
and analytical standards may be applied for testing their quality and purity.
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