Description
Pharmacognosy & Phytochemistry is a comprehensive academic textbook designed for B.Pharm students, with content aligned to the NEP 2020 framework for undergraduate pharmacy education. It presents important concepts of natural products and medicinal plant constituents in a clear, structured, and examination-oriented manner.
The book begins with metabolic pathways and biogenetic studies, explaining how primary metabolic processes contribute to the formation of pharmacologically important natural products. It then explores primary metabolites, including carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, lipids, fats, and nucleic acids, along with their pharmaceutical significance.
A substantial section is devoted to secondary metabolites and important phytochemical groups such as alkaloids, glycosides, tannins, saponins, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, terpenoids, steroids, resins, and volatile oils. Examples of medicinal plants and their characteristic constituents help connect theoretical concepts with pharmaceutical applications.
The book also explains conventional and modern methods for extracting valuable constituents from medicinal plants, including maceration, percolation, infusion, decoction, Soxhlet extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, and supercritical fluid extraction.
The final section introduces isolation, identification, and characterization techniques, covering chromatography and spectroscopic methods such as TLC, HPLC, GC, UV-Visible, IR, NMR, and mass spectrometry.
With its systematic organization, scientific terminology, practical relevance, and student-focused presentation, this book can serve as a useful learning and revision companion for pharmacy students and educators studying pharmacognosy and phytochemistry.
