Classification of Crude Drugs

Classification of Crude Drugs

The most important natural sources of drugs are higher plant, microbes and animals and marine organisms. Some useful products are obtained from minerals that are both organic and inorganic in nature. In order to pursue (or to follow) the study of the individual drugs, one must adopt some particular sequence of arrangement and this is referred to a system of classification of drugs.
A method of classification should be
(a) Simple
(b) Easy to use (
c) Free from confusion and ambiguities.
Because of their wide distribution, each arrangement of classification has its own merits and demerits, but for the purpose of study the drugs are classified in the following different ways: 1. Alphabetical classification
2. Morphological classification
3. Taxonomic classification
4. Pharmacological classification
5. Chemical classification
6. Chemotaxonomical

classification Alphabetical Classification Alphabetical classification is the simplest way of classification of any disconnected items. Crude drugs are arranged in alphabetical order of their Latin and English names (common names) or sometimes local language names (vernacular names).

Some of the pharmacopoeias, dictionaries and reference books which classify crude drugs according to this system are as follows.
1. Indian Pharmacopoeia
2. British Pharmacopoeia
3. British Herbal Pharmacopoeia
4. United States Pharmacopoeia and National Formulary
5. British Pharmaceutical Codex.
6. European Pharmacopoeia

In European Pharmacopoeia these are arranged according to their names in Latin where in U.S.P. and B.P.C., these are arranged in English.

Merits:
• It is easy and quick to use
• There is no repetition of entries and is devoid of confusion.
• In this system location, tracing and addition of drug entries is easy.

Demerits:
There is no relationship between previous and successive drug entries. Examples: Acacia, Benzoin, Cinchona, Dill, Ergot, Fennel, Gentian, Hyoscyamus, Ipecacuanha, Jalap, Kurchi, Liquorice, Mints, Nuxvomica, Opium, Podophyllum, Quassia, Rauwolfia, Senna, Vasaka, Wool fat, Yellow bees wax, Zeodary.

Morphological Classification

In this system, the drugs are arranged according to the morphological or external characters of the plant parts or animal parts i.e. which part of the plant is used as a drug e. g. leaves, roots, stem etc. The drugs obtained from the direct parts of the plants and containing cellular tissues are called as organized drugs e. g. Rhizomes, barks, leaves, fruits, entire plants, hairs and fibres.
The drugs which are prepared from plants by some intermediate physical processes such as incision, drying or extraction with a solvent and not containing any cellular plant tissues are called as unorganized drugs. Aloe juice, opium latex, agar, gambir, gelatin, tragacanth, benzoin, honey, beeswax, lemon grass oil etc. are examples of unorganized drugs.

Organised Drugs
Woods– Quassia, Sandalwood, Red Sandalwood.

Leaves– Digitalis, Eucalyptus, Gymnema, Mint, Senna, Spearmint, Squill, Tulsi, Vasaka, Coca,Buchu, Hamamelis, Hyoscyamus, Belladonna, Tea.

Barks– Arjuna, Ashoka, Cascara, Cassia, Cinchona, Cinnamon, Kurchi, Quillia, Wild cherry.

Flowering parts– Clove, Pyrethrum, Saffron, Santonica, Chamomile.

Fruits– Amla, Anise, Bael, Bahera, Bitter Orange peel, Capsicum, Caraway, Cardamom, Colocynth, Coriander, Cumin, Dill, Fennel, Gokhru, Hirda, Lemon peel, Senna pod, Star anise, Tamarind, Vidang.

Seeds– Bitter almond, Black Mustard, Cardamom, Colchicum, Ispaghula, Kaladana, Linseed, Nutmeg, Nux vomica, Physostigma, Psyllium, Strophanthus, White mustard.

Roots and Rhizomes– Aconite, Ashwagandha, Calamus, Calumba, Colchicum corm, Dioscorea, Galanga, Garlic, Gention, Ginger, Ginseng, Glycyrrhiza, Podophyllum, Ipecac, Ipomoea, Jalap, Jatamansi, Rauwolfia, Rhubarb, Sassurea, Senega, Shatavari, Turmeric, Valerian, Squill.

Plants and Herbs– Ergot, Ephedra, Bacopa, Andrographis, Kalmegh, Yeast, Vinca, Datura, Centella.

Hair and Fibres– Cotton, Hemp, Jute, Silk, Flax.

Unorganised Drugs.
Dried latex– Opium, Papain Dried Juice– Aloe, Kino Dried extracts– Agar, Alginate, Black catechu, Pale catechu, Pectin Waxes - Beeswax, Spermaceti, Carnauba wax Gums – Acacia, Guar Gum, Indian Gum, Sterculia, Tragacenth.

Resins– Asafoetida, Benzoin, Colophony, copaiba Guaiacum, Guggul, Mastic, Coal tar, Tar, Tolu balsam, Storax, Sandarac.

Volatile oil– Turpentine, Anise, Coriander, Peppermint, Rosemary, Sandalwood, Cinnamon, Lemon, Caraway, Dill, Clove, Eucalyptus, Nutmeg, Camphor.

Fixed oils and Fats– Arachis, Castor, Chalmoogra, Coconut, Cotton seed, Linseed, Olive, Sesame, Almond, Theobroma, Cod-liver, Halibut liver, Kokum butter.

Animal Products – Bees wax, Cantharides, Cod-liver oil, Gelatin, Halibut liver oil, Honey, Shark liver oil, shellac, Spermaceti wax, wool fat, musk, Lactose.

Fossil organism and Minerals– Bentonite, Kaolin, Kiesslguhr, Talc.