B.Pharm. Bachelor of Pharmacy Pharmacognosy 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Pharmacognosy is best defined as the study of:
- Synthetic drug molecules
- Natural drugs and their sources (Correct answer)
- Drug metabolism in the body
- Drug interactions in clinical settings
Correct answer: Natural drugs and their sources
Pharmacognosy is the branch of pharmacy science that studies medicinal drugs derived from natural sources including plants, animals, and microorganisms.
Question 2: Which secondary plant metabolite class includes morphine, codeine, and quinine?
- Terpenoids
- Flavonoids
- Alkaloids (Correct answer)
- Glycosides
Correct answer: Alkaloids
Alkaloids are nitrogen-containing secondary plant metabolites that include important drugs like morphine, codeine, caffeine, and quinine.
Question 3: The active constituent of turmeric (Curcuma longa) with anti-inflammatory properties is:
- Capsaicin
- Curcumin (Correct answer)
- Quercetin
- Resveratrol
Correct answer: Curcumin
Curcumin is the primary bioactive polyphenol in turmeric with documented anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties.
Question 4: Cardiac glycosides such as digoxin are derived from which plant?
- Atropa belladonna
- Digitalis purpurea (Correct answer)
- Papaver somniferum
- Cinchona officinalis
Correct answer: Digitalis purpurea
Digoxin and digitoxin are cardiac glycosides derived from Digitalis purpurea (foxglove), used to treat heart failure and arrhythmias.
Question 5: Which method of drug standardization measures the biological potency of a drug preparation compared to a reference standard?
- Chemical assay
- Biological standardization (bioassay) (Correct answer)
- Chromatographic analysis
- Spectrophotometric assay
Correct answer: Biological standardization (bioassay)
Biological standardization uses bioassays to measure the potency of a drug preparation against an international reference standard in living systems.
Question 6: Volatile oils extracted from plants are also known as:
- Fixed oils
- Essential oils (Correct answer)
- Fatty acids
- Resins
Correct answer: Essential oils
Essential oils (volatile oils) are aromatic, volatile liquid mixtures of terpenoids and other compounds extracted from plant material by distillation.
