X

Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry

By Dr. Galvina Pereira   |   Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai
Learners enrolled: 1448   |  Exam registration: 43
ABOUT THE COURSE:

Introduction to Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry broadly covers the study of drugs of natural origin concerning their source, preparation, phytochemistry, extraction, and applications. In this course,phytoconstituents are classified based on their chemical structures with examples of medicinal plants containing them. The course elaborates on phytochemical classes such as lipids, carbohydrates, tannins, alkaloids, glycosides, resins, flavonoids, and carotenoids with respect to their occurrence, properties, extraction and applications. The various qualitative and quantitative methods of quality control will be described.

INTENDED AUDIENCE: Students pursuing Diploma in Pharmacy, B. Pharmacy, B.Tech, B.Sc, M.Sc, BAMS

PREREQUISITES: HSC (Chemistry and Biology), Diploma in Pharmacy, BSc (Botany)

INDUSTRY SUPPORT: iChess Extracts Pvt. Ltd, Komal Exotic Spices Pvt. Ltd.
Summary
Course Status : Upcoming
Course Type : Core
Language for course content : English
Duration : 12 weeks
Category :
  • Chemical Engineering
Credit Points : 3
Level : Undergraduate/Postgraduate
Start Date : 21 Jul 2025
End Date : 10 Oct 2025
Enrollment Ends : 28 Jul 2025
Exam Registration Ends : 15 Aug 2025
Exam Date : 01 Nov 2025 IST
NCrF Level   : 4.5 — 8.0

Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.


Page Visits



Course layout

Week 1: Introduction to Pharmacognosy:
Introduction and scope of Pharmacognosy
Drugs of Natural Origin- Organized and Unorganized
Introduction to primary and secondary metabolites
Introduction to Biosynthetic Precursors
Biosynthetic Pathways for isoprenoids and Shikimic Acid pathway

Week 2: Lipid-based drugs:
Fixed oils, fats, waxes, and volatile oils
Occurrence, properties, preparation, evaluation, and application of lipid-containing drugs- Castor oil, Sesame oil, Karanja oil, Coconut oil, Beeswax, Woolfat, Carnuba wax, Mint Oil, Clove Oil etc.
Extraction methods for Volatile oils from plant sources

Week 3: Carbohydrate-based drugs:
Sources, preparation, and applications of drugs containing Gums, Mucilage, Acacia, Agar, Starches, Pectin, Inulin, Chitin, Chitosan, honey etc.
Extraction methods for starches from plant sources

Week 4: Tannins:
Definition, Classification, Sources, Extraction, Purification, and Applications of tannin-containing drugs – Catechu, Nutgalls, Amla, Myrobalans etc.

Week 5: Alkaloids:
Definition, classification, properties, occurrence, chemical test, and applications of alkaloidal drugs: Opium, Belladona, Vinca, Rauwolfia, Black Pepper, Cinchona, Ephedra, and Vasaka.

Week 6: Glycosides:
Definition, classification, properties, occurrence, and applications of the following classes of glycosides-
Anthraquinone- Aloes, Senna
Cardiac- Digitalis, Squill
Cyanogenetic- Bitter Almond
Isothiocyanate- Mustard
Triterpenes: Licorice, Ginseng etc.

Week 7: Phenyl Propanoid derivatives:
Flavonoids:
Occurrence, Classification, Application, and Evaluation of Flavonoid-containing Drugs: Orange, Grape Peel, Buckwheat, Strawberry, Soybean, Milk thistle etc.
Lignans:
Occurrence, Application, and Evaluation of Lignans-containing
Drugs: Podophyllum, Linseed, Piper cubeba, Sesame.
Coumarins:
Occurrence, Application, and Evaluation of Coumarins -containing
Drugs: Psoralea, Karanja,

Week 8: 
Carotenoids and Miscellaneous Compounds:
Definition, classification, sources, properties, and applications of Saffron, Annatto and Marigold
Miscellaneous classes:
Quinones:
Iridoids: Gentian, Picrorhiza

Week 9: Resin and Resin combinations:
Occurrence, Classification, Preparation, Application, and Evaluation of resin-containing drugs- Asafoetida, Turmeric, Ginger. Guggul, Benzoin, Myrrh, Paprika, Cannabis, etc.

Week 10: Quality Control Methods for Herbal Drugs:
Quantitative and Qualitative methods

Week 11: Quality Control Methods for Herbal Drugs:
Quantitative and Qualitative methods

Week 12: Application of natural product databases for phytochemical search and prediction of properties:
Plant: TKDL, Knapsack database, Dr. Dukes Database, Phytohub
Phytoconstituents: ZINC natural product database, LOTUS, COCONUT Online etc.
Phytochemical properties and ADME: Swiss ADME, SEA database etc.

Books and references

  1. William Charles Evans,Daphne Evans, Trease and Evans' Pharmacognosy Book, Elsevier, Sixteenth Edition, 2009 
  2. Raphael Ikan, Natural Products: A Laboratory Guide, Academic Press, 1991 
  3. Bruneton J, Pharmacognosy & Phytochemistry Medicinal Plants,2nd edition, Lavoisier Publishing Inc. 1999 
  4. Wallis, Thomas Edward, Textbook of Pharmacognosy, 5th edition, J. & A. Churchill Ltd,1967 
  5. Extraction and Isolation of Phytochemicals Practical Approach Edited by Dr. K. S. Laddha Published by YUCCA Enterprises, Mumbai, ISBN-98-81-934528-0-6, as a contributor. Published: June 2019.

Instructor bio

Dr. Galvina Pereira

Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai
Dr. Galvina Pereira is currently an Assistant Professor at the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai. She has over 11 years of teaching experience in Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry. Her areas of expertise include natural products, extraction, isolation technology development, preparation of semisynthetic derivatives, standardization of herbal formulations, analytical method development, forced degradation studies, and nutraceutical and cosmeceutical product development. She has contributed to the field through publications, presentations, podcast etc. She has Government and industry-sponsored projects in the domain of extraction of phytochemicals from plant sources and developing cosmeceuticals.

Course certificate

The course is free to enroll and learn from. But if you want a certificate, you have to register and write the proctored exam conducted by us in person at any of the designated exam centres.
The exam is optional for a fee of Rs 1000/- (Rupees one thousand only).
Date and Time of Exams: November 01, 2025 Morning session 9am to 12 noon; Afternoon Session 2pm to 5pm.
Registration url: Announcements will be made when the registration form is open for registrations.
The online registration form has to be filled and the certification exam fee needs to be paid. More details will be made available when the exam registration form is published. If there are any changes, it will be mentioned then.
Please check the form for more details on the cities where the exams will be held, the conditions you agree to when you fill the form etc.

CRITERIA TO GET A CERTIFICATE

Average assignment score = 25% of average of best 8 assignments out of the total 12 assignments given in the course.
Exam score = 75% of the proctored certification exam score out of 100

Final score = Average assignment score + Exam score

Please note that assignments encompass all types (including quizzes, programming tasks, and essay submissions) available in the specific week.

YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A CERTIFICATE ONLY IF AVERAGE ASSIGNMENT SCORE >=10/25 AND EXAM SCORE >= 30/75. If one of the 2 criteria is not met, you will not get the certificate even if the Final score >= 40/100.

Certificate will have your name, photograph and the score in the final exam with the breakup.It will have the logos of NPTEL and IIT Bombay .It will be e-verifiable at nptel.ac.in/noc.

Only the e-certificate will be made available. Hard copies will not be dispatched.

Once again, thanks for your interest in our online courses and certification. Happy learning.

- NPTEL team


MHRD logo Swayam logo

DOWNLOAD APP

Goto google play store

FOLLOW US