Significance of Pharmacognosy: Students’ Perspective

Abstract

Background and objectives: The use of herbal medicine dates back to ancient times when humans used to consume natural substances such as medicinal plants to treat various diseases. Advancement in technology increases the importance of natural medicines in health care. Numerous drugs have been derived from natural sources and the alternative system of medicine mainly utilizes herbs and other natural sources or their extracts to treat different diseases. These herbs also possess herb-drug, food-drug interactions and other side effects; therefore, the knowledge of pharmacognosy is mandatory for pharmacists in order to work efficiently in their field. The present study was conducted to evaluate the significance of pharmacognosy from the viewpoint of pharmacy students. Methods: An online survey was conducted in which students from all the recognized institutes of pharmacy located in Karachi, Pakistan were given a questionnaire to evaluate their knowledge about the significance of pharmacognosy. Results: Majority of students were satisfied with the curriculum of pharmacognosy in the Pharm-D curriculum and they believed that one can’t be a good pharmacist without studying pharmacognosy. They have the concept of herb-drug and food-drug interactions. They have studied the doses and side effects of herbal drugs in their undergrad curriculum, and they will consider studying pharmacognosy in their postgrad program. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that pharmacy students of various institutes of Karachi, Pakistan are well aware of the importance of pharmacognosy.

Keywords

• food-drug interactions
• herbal medicine
• herb-drug interactions
• pharmacognosy