Page 224 - PG 101-Course notes مذكرة النظري 24-25 with spec

Medicinal plants (PG 101) Level 1 Clinical Pharmacy-PharmD

Collection of flowers: This must be carried out in fine, dry weather in order to fix

the color of the product. Generally, they are gathered just at the time of pollination

before the formation of fruits. Cloves and santonica are collected in buds. Chamomile

flowers are collected just after full expansion.

Collection of barks: This is usually carried out in the spring or in the early summer

when the cambium is active and so it can be easily stripped off from the trunk and

branches.

Collection of fruits: This is carried out near the ripening season, when they are fully

mature but not completely ripened. In addition, they must be gathered in dry weather.

Collection of seeds: The fruits are collected at the ripening stage and the mature

seeds are separated from the pericarp.

Collection of underground organs (roots, rhizomes, bulbs, and corms): They

should be collected in autumn or winter after the removal of the aerial parts. This

is done by digging out or pulling of the entire plant.

Collection of unorganized drugs (resins, gums, lattices .... etc.): These should be

collected in dry weather and care should be taken to exclude the vegetable debris

when collecting these drugs. These are obtained by making certain incisions in the

plant. The resulting exudates (unorganized drug) usually acquires the shape of the

incision, e.g gum tragacanth shows ribbon shape. If the incision is a punctuate as in

gum acacia the resulting material has a tear shape.

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