CLASSIFICATION

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CLASSIFICATION

• Different systems of classification for vegetable
  drugs

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Medicinal drugs can be arranged under the
following headings

• 1- Alphabetical
• Either use Latin or Vernacular name
• This arrangement is employed only for
  dictionaries
• Gives no indication about inter-relationship

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2- Taxonomic

• Drugs are arranged according to plants from which
  they are obtained
• Classes, orders, families, genera and species
• e.g drugs from plants like
• Square stem, opposite leaves and bilabiate
  flowers (peppermint, thyme) are considered from
  Labiatae

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3-Morphological

• Drugs are divided into groups
• 1- Organized drugs
• Leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, herbs entire
  organisms, woods, barks, rhizomes and roots.
• 2- Un-organized drugs
• Extracts, gums, resins, oils, fats and waxes.

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4-Therapeutic or pharmacological

• R.Pratt and H.W.Youngken (1956)
• Drugs are employed for their therapeutic effects,
  method of study called therapeutic
  classification.
• e.g. senna, castor oil are considered because of
  their action on intestinal tract.
• So this type of consideration forms the basis for
  science of pharmacology.

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5-Chemical or biogenetic

• Constituents e.g alkaloids, glycosides, volatile
  oils etc.
• Their biosynthetic pathway forms the basis of
  classification.
• Some drugs contain constituents which are
  therapeutically active, some only chemically
  active.
• Certain plant families exhibit definite type of
  chemical principles

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Chemical classification

• Solanaceae contain alkaloids (atropine,
  scopolamine)
• Umbiliferae contains volatile oils
• In a like manner, drugs containing volatile oils,
  or resins, or tannins, or glycosides can be
  classified in their perspective phytochemical
  groups.

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Questions/Suggestions