Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry

By Prof. Galvina Pereira | IIT Bombay Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai

Learners enrolled: 88

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, Himalaya Wellness Company, Sami-Sabinsa Group

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:

Drugs of Natural Origin-Organized and Unorganized Examples of drugs obtained from Traditional Medicine Introduction to primary and secondary metabolites

Week 2: Lipid-based drugs:

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

Week 3: Carbohydrate-based drugs:

Sources, preparation, and applications of drugs containing of Gums, Mucilage, Starches, and fructans- Acacia, Agar, Pectin, Inulin etc.Extraction of starches from plant sources

Week 4: Tannins:

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

Week 5: Alkaloids:

Definition, classification, properties, occurrence, and applications of alkaloidal drugs- Opium, Belladona, Pepper, Vinca etc.

Week 6: Extraction Methods and Analysis of Alkaloidal Drugs

Week 7: Glycosides:

Definition, classification, properties, occurrence, and applications of the following classes of glycosides- Anthraquinone- Aloes, Senna, Cardiac- Digitalis Cyanogenetic- Bitter Almond Isothiocyanate- Mustard

Week 8: Carotenoids:

Definition, classification, sources, properties and applications of Astaxanthin, Lutein, Lycopene, Bixin, Crocin.

Week 9: Flavonoids

Occurrence, Classification, Application, and Evaluation of flavonoids containing drugs- Orange, Liquorice, Grape Peel, Buckwheat etc.Extraction of Flavonoids

Week 10: Resin and Resin combinations:

Occurrence, Classification, Preparation, Application, and Evaluation of resin-containing drugs- Asafoetida, Podophyllum, Turmeric, Ginger. Guggul etc.

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

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

Instructor bio

Prof. Galvina Pereira

IIT Bombay Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai

Prof. 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

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