PHARMACOGNOSY AND NUTRACEUTICALS

The course of Pharmacognosy and Nutraceuticals is aimed to train Students giving them those competences on: recognition, identification and biological properties of crude plant drugs; - uses of erboristic and nutraceutical products. At the end of the course the Student acquires the ability to:-identify the herbal drug and recognize the chemical structures that constitute the active ingredients, He knows the biological activity of herbal drugs and their application in the salutariness field; the Student is also able to independently assess the preparations of officinal plants, distinguishing an empirical use to use based on scientific evidence, and to give advice to users on their rational use in particular disorders, providing information on efficacy, side effects, contraindications and toxicity of erboristic and nutraceutical products;-is able to follow the discoveries in the field of health products (erboristic/nutraceutical) by consulting the scientific literature.

Frontal lessons

Classroom exercises

INTRODUCTION

Definition, history and aims of Pharmacognosy. Pharmacognosy today.

Traditional Medicine. Crude drug, phytocomplex, active component, medicinal and officinal plant, nutraceutical product, functional foods definition.

MODULO 1: GENERAL PHARMACOGNOSY (2 CFU)

Crude plant drug

-Organized and unorganized crude drugs.

-Primary and secondary metabolism: origin of herboristic and nutraceutical phytoconstituents.

- Variability of crude drug activity: natural and artificial factors that influence the active constituent content and quality.

- Principles of officinal plant cultivation and technologies for the production "in vitro" of active components.

-Harvest of crude drugs (Balsamic time).

- Preparation and Conservation of crude drugs (drying, freezing, lyophilization, stabilization).

Crude plant drug preparations

Powderiness of crude drugs.

-manual methods of powderiness (contusion, trituration, raspature).

-mechanical methods of powderiness (mechanical minethrower and mill, mill roundly).

-evaluation of thinness dimension of powders (sifting, classification).

Extraction Methods

Factors that influence the solvent extractive capacity (solvent, thinness dimension of crude drug powderiness, diffusion and washing processes, extraction temperature and time).

-maceration, dinamic maceration (turboextraction, vibroextraction).

-digestion

-infusion

-decotion

-percolation

-extraction

Preparations obtained by extraction with solvent:

-macerated

-infusion and decoction

-fluid, soft, dried extracts

-tinctures, mother tinctures

-alcoolatures

-glycolic extract

-SIPF (integral fresh plant suspension)

- hydrolites, alcoolites, enolites, acetolites, oleoliti, glycerites, etherolites

-tisane, potion, elixir, syrup, bitter.

Filtration, clarification and methods of extract concentration

-evaporation

-drying

-lyophilization

Methods of extraction without solvent:

-directed distillation and distillation in vapour flows

-pressing

-enfleurage

Preparations obtained by distillation:

-essences

-hydrolate

-alcoolate

Preparations obtained by pressing:

-oil fixed

-juice

MODULE 2: APPLIED PHARMACOGNOSY (1 CFU)

Quality control of plant crude drug

Preliminary Tests for crude drug identification

-morphological character examination (aspect, form and colour).

-organoleptic character examination (aroma and gust).

-physical character examination (consistence, anatomy, breach, fluorescence).

Microscopy Analyses

-production of organized and unorganized crude drugs preparations.

-methods of recognition and identification of structural distinctive elements (cellular inclusive, cellular structure).

Screening Methods of active components

(alkaloids, glycosides, saponins, flavonoids, coumarins, anthraquinones).

Chemical-physical Analysis

-determination of humidity

-determination of hashes

-crude fibre

-index of swelling

-index of barm and hemolysis index

Electrophoretic Methods

Biological assays

-biological assays of control.

-activity assays.

-biological dosage.

MODULO 3: SPECIAL PHARMACOGNOSY (3 CFU)

Classification of herbal drugs.

Crude drugs containing carbohydrates: altea, malva, echinacea, arabic gum, adragante gum, karaya gum, guar gum, carruba gum, manna, psillyum, agar, iceland lichens.

Crude drugs containing lipids: olive oil, mais oil, soy oil, peanut oil, almond oil, enagra oil, jojoba oil, cacao butter.

Glycosides: anthraquinones (senna, aloe, rhubarb, buckthorn, cascara), sulfonates (allium), saponinic (ginseng, eleuthero, astragalus, licorice, butcher's broom, horse chestnut, centella, fenugreek, ivy), phenol (bearberry), alcohol (willow).

Drugs containing terpenes: eucalyptus, hops, lemon balm, mint, thyme, ginkgo, chamomile common, roman chamomile, valerian, calendula, cinnamon, gentian, dandelion, ginger, rosemary, turmeric, cumin, fennel, lavender, saffron, arnica.

Drugs containing phenylpropanoids: milk thistle, artichoke, burdock, passion flower, St. John's wort, kava, propolis, blueberry, American blueberry, red wine, soy, chasteberry, chinese angelica, cimifuga, hawthorn, witch hazel, tea, ratana.

Drugs containing alkaloids: capsicum, boldo, curare, opium, ephedra, bitter orange, rauwolfia, uncaria, coffee, maté, guarana, cola, cocoa.

Drugs containing steroids: digital.

Principles of Phytovigilance.

MODULO 4: NUTRACEUTICAL (3 CFU)

Nutraceuticals: source, quality and safety

Nutraceuticals and Central Nervous System

Nutraceuticals and Cardiovascular System

Nutraceuticals and Metabolic Disorders

Nutraceuticals and Urinary System

Nutraceuticals and Inflammatory Diseases

Nutraceuticals and Respiratory System

Nutraceuticals and Immunostimulants

Nutraceuticals and Ocular Disorders

Nutraceuticals and Reproductive System

Nutraceuticals and Cancer Prevention

Testi consigliati

1. Farmacognosia. F. Capasso, Ed. Springer.

2. Farmacognosia applicata. R. Capasso, F. Borrelli, R. Longo, F. Capasso Ed. Springer.

3. Farmacognosia: Farmaci di origine naturale. Samuelsson Gunnar. Ed. EMSI.

Testi di consultazione

• Manuale dell’erborista I. Morelli, G. Flamini, L. Pistelli. Ed. Tecniche Nuove.

• I farmaci di origine vegetale. Tecnologie di estrazione dalle piante medicinali. P.H. List, P.C. Schmidt. Ed. Hoepli.

• Fitofarmacovigilanza. F. Capasso, F. Borrelli S. Castaldo, G. Grandolini. Ed. Springer

• Chimica, Biosintesi e Bioattività delle sostanze naturali. P.M. Dewick. Ed. Piccin.

• Dizionario Ragionato di Erboristeria e Fitoterapia. A. Bruni, M. Nicoletti. Ed. Piccin.