Pharmacognosy

The main objective of the course is to provide knowledge on the pharmacological activity of synthetic or natural drugs. Taking into consideration the complexity of botanicals, the course will define the parts of plant used for their pharmacological activity and the active principles responsible for it. Moreover, the course will provide the theoretical basis of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic, examining the main neurotransmitter systems and the effects of active principles of specific natural drugs on these targets.

At the end of the course, students are expected to know and understand principles underlying concepts of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic, applying this knowledge to the comprehension of the effects of the active principles from natural or synthetic source and their molecular target. In particular, students will be able to know and understand the main mechanisms of action of drugs, their relationship with the endogenous systems, the aspects which influence variability of active principles in the drug, and factors able to affect safety and/or efficacy (quality of botanicals).