Pharmacognosy

Department of Pharmacognosy

Pharmacognosy is the very old and still having development potential among the various branches of Pharmacy. Pharmacognosy is a specific discipline deals with the rapid developments in the knowledge and utilization of medicinal substances of biological origin (plant, microorganism and animal products) used in human and veterinary purpose. The Pharmacognosy lab of Grace College of Pharmacy is mainly concerned with the principles and procedures used in the identification, authentication, extraction, isolation of active consituents by chromatography techniques, purification and development of herbal formulations and assay methods for the isolated constituents apart from the academic syllabus. Attention is paid to the develpment of standardisation protocols for the herbal formulations. Focus is also paid to pharmacopoeial regulations, ICH, EU guide lines and principles of good manufacturing practices. The Dept. of Pharmacognosy is well established with the modern equipments and dedicated faculties. The Dept. is continuously aimed at the studying of various ethnomedical practices among the tribal communities in and around Malappuram, Palakkad Districts and Kerala state. The Dept. also aimed in the standardizations of various formulations used in the different indigenous systems of treatment like Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani, for which the standardization of finished products are very less. The collection of marine sources is done from cochin, such as Kappaphycus alverizii marine red algae for project studies.

Medicinal Plant Garden

The Medicinal garden attached to the dept. is unique among the various Pharmacy Colleges of Kerala which serves as a educational display of medicinal and aromatic plants. It has a collection of over 200 varieties of medicinal plants, most of which are either rare or extinct. Around 200 medicinal plants are been collected out of the interest of B.Pharmacy students from wild and from tribal area of Attapadi. The drug museum in the Department is having sufficient number of crude drugs. The herbarium of the department is having a collection of over 400 specimens. The Department is also aimed in the production of medicinal plants by tissue culture techniques and grafting techniques. It has the following advanced instruments and equipments for various pharmacognostical and Phytochemical Studies.

Achievements of the Dept.

• Research papers are published / Presented in various National/ International journals/ Conferences by students and faculties.
• 100% Result in Third Year B Pharm examination by University of Calicut consecutively during the last years.
• Digitalised over 400 medicinal plants present in the Ernad, Nilambur and Perinthalmann a taluk of Malappuram district,of which are most endangered species and rare.

Awards

• 2011 – Poster presentation – 5th National Pharmaceutical Conference – Pharmacon III.
• 2011 – 2nd Price in Poster Presentation – Phytocosmeutical gel extracted from red algae Carragennan and its evaluation studies.

On going Projects

Future Plans

• Commencement of Post Graduate course in Pharmacognosy and Phytopharmacy, which will helps in the strengthening of Research activities in the dept.
• Commercial production of various plant extracts.
• Development of Bio polymers from the marine sources.
• Development of biodegradable polymers from natural source.
• Commercial production of volatile oil from Lemon grass, orange oil, rose oil, etc.
• Commercialisation of various pharmacognostical and Physicochemical studies for academic institutions/ Industries.
• Commercialised isolation of Phytoconstituents.
• Development of standardization protocol for various ayurvedic / Siddha and Unani formulations.
• Exploration of Attapadi tribal community of the forest towards their ethnomedical practices in Kerela. (In Progress).