PHARMACEUTICAL BOTANY

Knowledge and understanding: the course provides the tools for the recognition of the main plants of pharmaceutical and herbal interest

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: the student acquires the skills necessary to understand the use and use of medicinal plants in the pharmaceutical and herbalist industry

Learning skills: the student becomes able to recognize and identify plants of specific pharmaceutical and herbal interest

Making judgments: the student develops his critical ability in knowing how to recognize a medicinal plant.

Ability to solve a problem: the student is encouraged to recognize the botanical and pharmaceutical characteristics of medicinal plants

The course will be structured in frontal teaching with power point projection and/or short films. During the course there will be exercises and problem based learning.

• Introduction to the study of the Pharmaceutical Botany. Classification. species concept. taxonomic system and evolution of systems. Supply of Medicinal Plants.
• Vegetable drugs: classification and factors that influence the content of active ingredients.
• Vegetative reproduction. Sexual reproduction. The spores. The biological cycles. The apomixis.
• Mushrooms. Morphology. The mycelium. Heterotrophy. Propagation. sexual reproduction. Systematics of mushrooms. Morphology, pharmaceutical and application interest of: Zygomycota, Ascomycota, Basidiomycota. Intoxication with mushrooms
• Algae. General characters. Morphology, pharmaceutical and application interest of: Rhodophyta: Gelidiaceae: Gelidium Sp.; Gigartinaceae: Chondrus crispus; Phaeophyta: Laminariaceae: Laminaria sp., Fucus
• Overview of lichens and mosses. Morphology. utilization
• Overview of pteridophytes. Morphology, pharmaceutical and application interest of: Lycopodiales, equisetales, Filicales.
• Spermatophytes. Gymnosperms. Morphology, ontogenetic cycle and practical interest of: Cycadophyta, Ginkgophyta, Coniferophyta, Ephedrales
• Angiosperms. The flower and its entirety. The inflorescences. Sexual reproduction. The seed. The fruit. Leaves.
• Classification of angiosperms.
• Primary and secondary metabolites

LILIOPSIDA (MONOCOTILEDONES)

• ALLIACEAE: Allium sativum;
• AGAVACEAE: Agave americana
• ASPARAGACEAE: Convallaria majalis; Asparagus officinalis
• LILIACEAE: Drimia maritima (Urginea maritima), Colchicum autumnale
• ZINGIBERACEAE: Curcuma longa, Zingiber officinalis

MAGNOLIOPSIDA (DICOTILEDONES)

• LAURACEAE: Cinnamomum sp., Laurus nobilis
• PAPAVERACEAE: Papaver somniferum, Chelidonium majus
• LAMIACEAE: Mentha sp., Lavandula officinalis, Thymus vulgaris, Salvia officinalis, Origanum sp., Melissa officinalis, Rosmarinus officinalis
• CANNABACEAE: Cannabis sativa. Humulus lupulus
• POLYGONACEAE: Reum sp.
• STERCULIACEAE: Cola acuminata, C. vera, Teobroma cacao
• FABACEAE: Glycyrrhiza glabra
• APIACEAE: Foeniculum vulgare, Pimpinella anisum
• EUPHORBIACEAE: Ricinus communis
• RHAMNACEAE: Rhamnus frangula, R. purshiana
• ERYTHROXYLACEAE: Erythroxylon coca
• APOCYNACEAE: Strophanthus sp., Rauwolfia serpentina
• SOLANACEAE: Atropa belladonna, Datura stramonium, Nicotina tabacum
• SCROPHULARIACEAE: Digitalis sp.
• PASSIFLORACEAE: Passiflora incarnata
• VALERIANACEAE: Valeriana officinalis
• RUBIACEAE: Cinchona sp.,
• ASTERACEAE: Matricaria chamomilla, Anthemis nobilis, Calendula officinalis, Cynara scolymus, Silybum marianum, Taraxacum officinale.

Part 1: 1 CFU - 7h

• Introduction to the study of the Pharmaceutical Botany. Classification. species concept. taxonomic system and evolution of systems. Supply of Medicinal Plants.
• Vegetable drugs: classification and factors that influence the content of active ingredients.
• Vegetative reproduction. Sexual reproduction. The spores. The biological cycles. The apomixis.
• Mushrooms. Morphology. The mycelium. Heterotrophy. Propagation. sexual reproduction. Systematics of mushrooms. Morphology, pharmaceutical and application interest of: Zygomycota, Ascomycota, Basidiomycota. Intoxication with mushrooms

Part 2: 2 CFU - 7h

• Algae. General characters. Morphology, pharmaceutical and application interest of: Rhodophyta: Gelidiaceae: Gelidium Sp.; Gigartinaceae: Chondrus crispus; Phaeophyta: Laminariaceae: Laminaria sp., Fucus
• Overview of lichens and mosses. Morphology. utilization
• Overview of pteridophytes. Morphology, pharmaceutical and application interest of: Lycopodiales, equisetales, Filicales.

Part 3: 1 CFU - 7 h

• Spermatophytes. Gymnosperms. Morphology, ontogenetic cycle and practical interest of: Cycadophyta, Ginkgophyta, Coniferophyta, Ephedrales
• Angiosperms. The flower and its entirety. The inflorescences. Sexual reproduction. The seed. The fruit. Leaves.

Part 4: 3 CFU - 21h

• Classification of angiosperms.
• Primary and secondary metabolites

LILIOPSIDA (MONOCOTILEDONES)

• ALLIACEAE: Allium sativum;
• AGAVACEAE: Agave americana
• ASPARAGACEAE: Convallaria majalis; Asparagus officinalis
• LILIACEAE: Drimia maritima (Urginea maritima), Colchicum autumnale
• ZINGIBERACEAE: Curcuma longa, Zingiber officinalis

MAGNOLIOPSIDA (DICOTILEDONES)

• LAURACEAE: Cinnamomum sp., Laurus nobilis
• PAPAVERACEAE: Papaver somniferum, Chelidonium majus
• LAMIACEAE: Mentha sp., Lavandula officinalis, Thymus vulgaris, Salvia officinalis, Origanum sp., Melissa officinalis, Rosmarinus officinalis
• CANNABACEAE: Cannabis sativa. Humulus lupulus
• POLYGONACEAE: Reum sp.
• STERCULIACEAE: Cola acuminata, C. vera, Teobroma cacao
• FABACEAE: Glycyrrhiza glabra
• APIACEAE: Foeniculum vulgare, Pimpinella anisum
• EUPHORBIACEAE: Ricinus communis
• RHAMNACEAE: Rhamnus frangula, R. purshiana
• ERYTHROXYLACEAE: Erythroxylon coca
• APOCYNACEAE: Strophanthus sp., Rauwolfia serpentina
• SOLANACEAE: Atropa belladonna, Datura stramonium, Nicotina tabacum
• SCROPHULARIACEAE: Digitalis sp.
• PASSIFLORACEAE: Passiflora incarnata
• VALERIANACEAE: Valeriana officinalis
• RUBIACEAE: Cinchona sp.,
• ASTERACEAE: Matricaria chamomilla, Anthemis nobilis, Calendula officinalis, Cynara scolymus, Silybum marianum, Taraxacum officinale.

1. Maugini E., Maleci Bini L., Mariotti Lippi M. - Manuale di Botanica Farmaceutica IX Ed. – PICCIN 2014

2. Leporatti M., Foddai S., Tommasini L. - Testo atlante di anatomia vegetale e delle piante officinali – PICCIN 1997

3. Poli F. - Biologia Farmaceutica - II Ed. - Pearson 2019