Complementary & Alternative Medicine

Modern Pharmacognosy

Pharmacognosy, which is based on a macroscopic and microscopic inspection of unprocessed pharmaceuticals, is the study of crude remedies of plant and animal origin as well as their authenticity and quality control. The term "Pharmacognosy," coined in 1811 by Austrian physician Schmidt, was first used by Seydler in Analecta Pharmacognostica in 1815.

From drug identification, such as the separation of active ingredients, to more recently, biological activity research, the emphasis and scope of study in Pharmacognosy have drastically changed. Research in ethnopharmacology, ethnomedicine, and ethnobotany has grown to be an important part of pharmacognosy.