Skip to main content
pharmacognosy

pharmacognosy

1 9.9
A study of medicines from plants and other natural sources
  • noun
  • /ˌfɑːr.məˈkɒɡ.nə.si/
  • Specialized
translation icon : farmacognosia
  • It's all pharmacognosy and pharmacology.
  • professor of pharmacognosy

Examples

  • The field of pharmacognosy examines the medicinal properties of various herbs.

  • This way it covers the various normally science-based modalities, such as diet, nutrition, exercise, natural products pharmacology (a.k.a. pharmacognosy), and the like, that are rebranded and practiced as "CAM" with CAM standards.

    Blog text (22)
  • That is just pharmacognosy and is an extract from green tea.

    Blog text (1)
  • The scientific study of medicinal herbs is called pharmacognosy, and medical students would benefit from lectures by researchers in this field.

    Blog text (5)
  • "Apply the tools of pharmacology and pharmacognosy to the investigation of herbal medicines, dietary products, and probiotics?"

    Blog text (22)
  • For example, NCCAM has evolved a set of policies and practices for applying the tools and methods of pharmacology and pharmacognosy to the investigation of herbal medicines, dietary supplements, and probiotics.

    Blog text (22)
  • That history, as I've pointed out before many times, involves taking science-based modalities, such as nutrition, exercise, natural products pharmacology (a.k.a. pharmacognosy), and the like, and then "rebranding" them as "CAM."

    Blog text (22)
  • Pharmacognosy involves studying how pharmacognosy can be used to create new medicines.

  • Medical students learn pharmacognosy to understand how natural substances contribute to drug development.

Synonyms

pharmacology
vspharmacognosy
  • Specialized
9 6.1

The study of medicines and how they affect living things

focuses only on medicines from natural sources, especially plants
herbalism
vspharmacognosy
  • Specialized
1 5.1

Using plants and their extracts to treat illness and keep people healthy

is a scientific study of natural medicines rather than a practice
pharmacol
vspharmacognosy
  • Informal
8.4

An informal name for the study of drugs and how they affect living things

is the formal, specific study of medicines from natural sources

How Medical

pharmacognosy
  • Specialized
1 9.9
botanical medicine
  • Specialized
4.7

Surface Forms

pharmacognosy singular

Morphology

pharmacognosy = pharmacy + gnosis (opaque) = pharmaco + gnosy

Built from Greek combining forms ('pharmaco-' and '-gnosy') that are not familiar productive English morphemes, so the meaning 'knowledge of medicinal drugs' is not obvious to an average B1 learner.

Etymology

The word pharmacognosy comes from the Greek words pharmakon meaning 'medicine' or 'drug' and gnosis meaning 'knowledge'. You can also see pharmakon in the familiar word pharmacy, so pharmacognosy is the study of medicines from natural sources like plants.