Crude Drug

By Dr. Tangina Malik

2nd professionals
Crude Drug

Definition
“Crude drug are vegetable or animal drugs that consist of natural substances that
have undergone only the processes of collection and drying.”
The term crude as used in relation to natural products that has not been
advanced in value or improved in condition by shredding, grinding, chipping,
crushing, distilling, evaporating, extracting, mixing or by any other treatment to
do proper packing to prevent deterioration or decay.
Commerce in drugs

 The commercial origin of drug refers to its production and its channels of
trade.
 Drugs bear a geographic name of a region in which they are collected and
shipped. Examples English hyoscyamus leaves are gathered in England, Indian
Rhubarb is a product of India etc.
 The commercial origin may change as in the course of time, according to the
demand, as with cinchona, vanilla and coca.
Preparation of the drug

The preparation include the following criteria:

1) Collection: the collection of drugs from cultivated plants always ensures a
true natural source and a reliable product.
The proper time of harvesting or collecting is particularly important because of
nature and quantity of constituents which vary according to the seasons.
The feasible time is when the part of the plant that constitutes the drug is the
highest in its content of active principles and when material will dry to give the
maximum quality and appearance.
2) Harvesting: the mode of harvesting varies with each drug. Some drugs are
collected by hand labor but the use of mechanical device is often more
successful in economic production.
As skillful selection of plant part is an important factor, where mechanical means
can not replace the hand labour.
3) Drying: By drying the plant material, one removes sufficient moisture to
ensure good quality and to prevent molding
The action of the enzymes, bacteria and chemical make possible changes. Drying
fixes the constituents and help in proper handling.
Control of temperature and regulation of air flow are the principles facilitating
the nature of the material and desired appearance of the product.
The plant material are dried either by Sun or by artificial heat.
Curing:
With some natural products such as vanilla, the processes of fermentation or
sweating are necessary to bring changes in constituents. Thus using special drying
processes called curing.
The plant specially leaves are subjected to processing by air curing, fire curing
and fuel curing. During this process, the chemical changes occur and leads to the
development of flavor and aroma
4) Garbling: The final step in preparation of crude drug. It consists of removal of
extraneous matter such as dirt and added adulterants.
Although garbling may also be done by mechanical means.
Packaging, Storage and Preservation:
Proper storage and preservation are important factors in maintaining quality of the drug. Hard-
packed bales, bark and resinuous drug usually reabsorb little moisture. But leaf, herb and root
drugs that are not well packed which tend to absorb the moisture upto 30%.
Excessive moisture not only increases the weight of the drug, thus reducing the percentage of
active constituents, but also favors enzymatic activity and facilitates the fungal growth.
The light adversely affects drugs that are highly coloured causing undesirable changes in
constituents. The oxygen in the air increases oxidation of constituents. Therefore the warehouse
should be cool, dark and well ventilated with dry air.
 The protection of drugs against the insects attack such as by Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and
Diptera infest vegetable drugs. Drugs should also be saved from rodents such as rat, mice etc. by
air tight containers.
 The simplest method employed to expose is to preserve the drug at temperature of 65C.
 Fumigation with methyl bromide in warehouse and manufacturing plants has shown considerable
success.
 Small lots of drugs are stored in tight, light-resistant containers. Tin cans, covered metal bins or
amber glass containers are also used.
 High temperature accelerates chemical reactions involved in deterioration. The ideal
temperature is just above freezing but as it is impractical in storage areas so are kept as cool as
possible.
 The certain drugs such as biologics are stored between 2-8C.
Classification of drugs

 In pharmacognosy, drugs are classified according to

1. Their morphology
2. The taxonomy
3. Therapeutic application
4. Chemical constituents
Classification of crude drug

Crude drug are available in their original form of occurance

Organized drugs are the organs of plants, solid, cellular in nature and identified
by their microscopical characters. Ex. Cinnamon, Senna
Unorganized drugs are the products of plants or animals, solid, semisolid or
liquid in nature and are identified by chemical tests basing on the type of
chemical constituents present in them Ex. Acacia, Honey, Castor oil

Higher plants, microbes and animals are the main sources of crude drugs.
Enzymes and antibiotics used in modern medicine are obtained from animal and
microbes.
 Morphological Classification
 In this system the crude drugs are classified according to their morphological
characters like leaves, barks, seeds, fruits, roots, flowers etc. the drugs obtained from
direct parts of the plants and containing cellular tissues are called organized drugs
e.g. rhizome, bark, leaf, fruit etc. whereas the drugs that are prepared from a plants
by any physical process such as incision, drying or extraction with a solvent are called
unorganized drugs e.g. Aloe juice, Opium latex, Honey etc.
 Advantages:
 Most convenient for practical purpose.
 Useful in identification of adulterants.
 Disadvantages:
 It is difficult to classify unorganized drugs. No co-relation of chemical constituents
with therapeutic actions could be made.
 Chemical composition and pharmacological behaviour of drugs cannot be characterized
by this system. Processing of drugs like collection, drying and preparation for market
may change their original characters making recognition quite difficult.
   Illustration of Morphological Classification Part of plant Drugs
(organized drug)
1 Leaves Vasaka, Digitalis, Senna, Coca, Datura, Eucalyptus
2 Barks Cinnamon, Cinchona, Cascara
3 Flowers Clove, Pyrethrum, Artemisia
4 Seeds Linseed, Mustard Isapgol, Nux-vomica
5 Fruits Dill, coriander, Bael Colocynth, Gokhru
6 Roots Ipecacuanha, Rauwolfia, Aconite, Gentian
7 Rhizomes Rhubarb, Male fern Turmeric, Ginger Bulbs Scilla Garlic
8 Corns Colchicum
9 Entire plants Ephedra ,Chirata Ergot , Belladonna
10 Woods Quassia ,Sandalwood

11 Hairs & Fibres Cotton ,Jute ,Hemp

  Illustration of Morphological Classification Part of plant Drugs (Unorganized
drug)

1 Dried latex Opium Dried

2 juice Aloe Dried
3 Gums Tragacanth, Acacia, Guar gum
4 extracts Agar, Catechu, Gelatin
5 Fixed oils Castor oil, Arachis oil Chaulmoogra oil

6 Waxes Wool Fat Bees Wax

7 Resins and Resin Colophony , Benzoin,Asafoetida , Basam of Tolu,
combinations Myrrh

8 Animal product Gelatin, cod liver oil

9 Minerals Kaolin, talc
Taxonomical Classification
Crude drugs from plants are classified into Phylum, Order, Family, Genus and
Species.
Animal drugs classified as fishes, arthropods, mammals etc.
Disadvantages
It cannot differentiate organized and unorganized drugs.
In most of the cases only plant part or product is used so it is of no significance
from the point of view of identification.
It does not co-relate chemical constituents and biological activity of the drug.
 Illustration of Taxonomical Classification  

       

Gymnosperms Genetales Ephedraceae Ephedra

Angiosperms      

Dicotyledons Rhamnales Rhamnaceae cascara

monocotyledons Liliflorae Liliaceae colchicum

Chemical Classification
All plants and animals biosynthesize various chemical compounds like carbohydrates,
proteins, fats etc., In addition to these essential chemicals living organisms produce several
other chemicals and these chemical constituents possess pharmacological activity. A single
active constituents may be isolated from the crude drug and used as a medicinal agent.
Advantages & Disadvantages
Advantages
This classification gives logical reasoning to - biological activities of crude drugs - which are
due to chemical constituents.
Disadvantages
Drugs which contains two or more types of chemical constituents cannot get appropriate
placement by this system.
  Type of Components Examples
1 Carbohydrates  
  Gums Acacia, Guar gum, Tragacanth
  Mucilages Ispagol
  Others Starch, Agar, Honey Cotton, Pectin
2 Glycosides
  Anthroquinone Glycosides Aloe,Cascara,Senna ,Rhubarb
  Cardiac glycosides Digitals ,Squill ,Strophanthus
  Saponin glycosides Dioscorea , Liquorice ,Quillaia
  Cyanogenetic Glycosides Wild cherry ,Bitter almond
  Isothiocyanate Mustard ,Gentian Tannins
  Polyphenolic glycosides Ashoka, Amla Catechu, Myrobalan
3 Tannin Catechu, ashoka bark
4 Volatile Oils Caraway Cardamom, Coriander, Dill, Fennel Clove, Nutmeg Eucalyptus, Lemon grass

5 Lipids  
  Fixed Oils Castor oil Arachis Oil Sesame oil
  Fats Lanolin Wool fat
  Waxes Beeswax Spermaceti
6 Resins Cannabis, Turmeric, Asafoetida, Colophony, Capsicum
7 Alkaloids
  Pyridine & Piperidine Tobacco Tropane Belladonna, Datura,Hyoscyamus, Coca Purines Tea, Coffee

  Tropane Coca, Belladonna, Hyoscyamus

  Steroidal Kurchi
  Diterpenoid Aconite
  Phenanthrene Opium
  Indole Ergot, Nux- vomica Rauwolfia
  Quinoline Cinchona
  Isoquinoline Opium, Ipecacuanha
  Amines Ephedra
8 Proteins Gelatin, Yeast
9 Vitamins Cod liver oil Shark liver oil, Amla
10 Triterpenes Colocynth, Rasna
Pharmacological Classification
In this system drugs are grouped together according to the therapeutic activity of
their main chemical constituents.
Advantages & Disadvantages
Advantages
Even if chemical constituents are not known Drugs can be grouped according to
therapeutic utility.
Disadvantages
Same drug having different actions, may be included in more than one category.
Classification of drugs based on
pharmacological action
Anticancer Vinca, podophyllum
Antiinflammatory Colchicum, turmeric

Antiamoebic Ipecac root, kurchi bark

Antispasmodic Belladonna, Datura, Hyoscyamus
Astringent Catechu, ashoka bark
antiasthamatic Ephedra, lobelia
analgesic Opium, cannabis
expectorants Benzoin, glycyrrhiza
flavors Clove, saffron
tranquillizer Rauwolfia roots
carminative Cinnamon, clove, fennel
Cardio tonics Digitalis, squill
purgative Cascara bark, senna
Laxatives Senna, Aloes
Oxytocic Ergot