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Copyright © 2007, 2003 , New Age International (P) Ltd., Publishers
Published by New Age International (P) Ltd., Publishers
All rights reserved.
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ISBN (13) : 978-81-224-2915-2
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Dedication
Dedicated with humility and reverence
to the fond memory of beloved
parents who encouraged
and flared passion in
me to learn more
always.
Thanks
Wish to thank Leena, Ashish
and Abhijeet for their boundless
patience and eternal understanding
during completion of this text.
Love
Aditi, our grand-daughter, who
brought in an eternal saga of
love, and energised
our inspirations to
perform better.
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Preface to the Second Edition
Overwhelming appreciation, whole-hearted acceptance, and qualified success of the First Edition
of the textbook entitled ‘Pharmacognosy and Pharmacobiotechnology’ extended by the
postgraduate students specializing in Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, Biotechnology,
Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Chemistry of Natural Products; besides the enormous undergraduate
students in Bachelor of Pharmacy programmes in all the reputed Pharmacy Degree Colleges not
only in India but also abroad are quite encouraging.
Exclusively based upon the commendable comments and constructive criticisms received from
various academic colleagues across the country the author has meticulously presented this entirely
revised and duly expanded Second Edition. Moreover, the reading text material has been updated
thoroughly, various biosynthetic pathways modified adequately, chemical structures and tabular
contentsenumerated more explicitly. Besides, the critical definitions, important statements,
terminologies, names of chemical constituents have been duly highlighted so as to facilitate its
readers to comprehend them accurately.
Tremendous achievement and advance in the different segments of highly sophisticated ‘Research
Techniques’ solely based on PC-modulated modern analytical techniques helped not only to clarify
the rather complex chemical structures of unravelled chemical constituents from Natural Products,
but also established precisely the plethora of ‘Biosynthetic Pathways’ dominating the plant kingdom.
The present textbook essentially comprises of nearly sixty ‘biosynthetic routes’ of predominantly
important natural chemical entities, such as: alkaloids, antibiotics, glycosides, marine-derived
drug substances, and terpenoids.
It is, however, pertinent to add here that certain extremely preliminary aspects to the related
pharmacognostical characteristic features of ‘Natural Plant Products’, namely: morphological
structures, adulterants used in herbal products, habitats, method of cultivation, geographical
distribution etc., have been expunged from the text, to which the students invariably obtain sufficient
exposure in the early stages of their systematic curriculum follow up.
The Second Edition essentially comprises of five additional chapters, namely:
(i) Nutraceuticals, (ii) Enzymes and Protein Drugs, (iii) Biomedicinals from Plant Tissue
Cultures, (iv) Hi-Tech Products from Plant Sources, and (v) Indian Traditional Herbal Drugs,
i.e., chapter-11 through chapter-15. The judicious and thoughtful inclusion of these five chapters
would certainly expose the PG/UG students of the aforesaid disciplines to an exceptionally solid
platform in the scientific pursuit of their knowledge.
The author feels convinced and earnestly believes that the Second Revised and Expanded
Edition of Pharmacognosy and Pharmacobiotechnology shall largely fulfil the much needed
value-added substantial text materials.
viii PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
It is hoped that Pharmacognosy and Pharmacobiotechnology will continue to enjoy its
popularity amongst the august teaching fraternity, brilliant students, herbal practitioners,
pharmacognosists, herbal chemists, phytochemists, biotechnologists, and above all the researchers
who would like to make an illustrious career in their respective professional discipline in the New
Millennium.
Finally, the author wishes to place on record his deep sense of gratitude to Shri Saumya Gupta
M.D., and the entire professionals of New Age International (P) Limited Publishers, for their excellent
support to bring out this edition in such a short-span.
Gurgaon Dr. Ashutosh Kar
Preface to the First Edition
Etymological evidences reveal that ‘pharmacognosy’ refers to the knowledge (from the Greek
gnosis) of drug (Pharmacon) substances. Pharmacognosy may also be referred to as—‘Study of
sources, and chemical and physical properties of drugs’. In the present context pharmacognosy,
since Dioscorides’s treatise, has spread its tentacles to investigations of a wider section of naturally
occurring materials essentially comprised of plants, animals, substances originated from
microorganisms and even biotechnology and genetically engineered entities. Jean Bruneton, the
famous French pharmacognosist, describes pharmacognosy as—‘Study of starting materials and
substances intended for therapeutics, and of biological origin, in other words obtained from plants,
animals, or by fermentation from microorganisms’.
Since the past two centuries the identification, isolation and characterization of naturally occurring
substances across the world have been accomplished by the concerted efforts through a central
preoccupation of innumerable research chemists and biological scientists. In the recent past, the
world has witnessed an overwhelming progress towards intensification of interest more so in natural
products from the herbal-based pharmaceutical industries with the epoch-making discoveries of
extremely useful new drugs, namely, taxol, artemisinin ginsengoside Rg1 ginkolide A, doxorubicin
and the like, from the nature’s natural reserves.
The other predominant aspect is ‘pharmacobiotechnology’, an area that encompasses the intricate
production of natural-product-drug substances on the basis of the copious volumes of scientific
evidences amalgamated with tremendous progress and breakthroughs particularly in the fields of
‘biotechnology’ and ‘molecular biology’. It is indeed an altogether newer frontier charged with
innovative ideas and approaches in modern-drug-discovery scenario to modify and improve upon
the quality of life of human beings on this planet. Therefore, in the present textbook, an earnest
attempt has been made to deal with the newest drugs on one hand and the oldest ones on the other in
a very systematic and lucid manner with a strong conviction that these all belong to the natural
origins.
Interestingly, the last five decades have witnessed a quantum jump in relevant and useful
publications especially with regard to books pertaining to medicinal plants, medicinal herbs,
biologically active natural products, phytochemistry of medieval plants, alternative medicine; besides
herbal and botanical remedies for commoners. It is, however, pertinent to mention about the legitimate
exposure vis-a-vis the in depth knowledge of the various aspects of medicinal plants well within the
broader limits of pharmacognosy—a professional discipline widely recognised not only amongst
the pharmacy and medical herbalism academic programmes but also of utmost significance to non-
medical professionals.
The present text essentially comprised of ten chapters, namely: introduction to phytochemistry,
pharmacobiotechnology, carbohydrates, glycosides, terpenoids, phenylpropanoids, alkaloids, bitter
