Pharmacognosy is the study of medicines or crude drugs produced from
natural sources such as plants, microbes, and animals. It includes
analysis of their biological, chemical, biochemical, and physical
properties.
Traditional medicine is also a part of pharmacognosy and most of
the third world countries still depend on the use of herbal medicines.
Consequently, pharmacognosy always keeps its popularity in
pharmaceutical sciences and plays a critical role in drug discovery.
It is believed that the human body finds plant-derived medicines
easier to accept due to the fact that they exist in nature and are not
synthetic. Many of the ayurvedic scientists in India still prescribe
plant-based products. Ancient scriptures like Sushrut and Charak sanhita
finds mention of plant-based products. Early mention of surgeries is
also found in these scriptures.
Plants have been always used as medicine by mankind to treat
health-threatening diseases and still popular to obtain new drug
candidates as it is the oldest medical practice for humans. The use of
botanical natural health products is on the increase all over the world.
It is known that almost 80% of the populations in developing countries
rely on the traditional medicine, mainly composing herbal prescriptions
A pharmacognosist studies all the plant-based insect based and animal based natural products.