Crude drugs — biological source, family, active constituents, uses and adulteration tests
68
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Subtopics in this bank
Alkaloid-, glycoside- and steroid/cardiac-glycoside-containing crude drugsAntihypertensive crude drugsAntimalarial crude drugsBasics of phytochemistry: modern extraction, chromatography, spectroscopy and electrophoresisBiogenetic pathways of secondary metabolites and radioisotope tracer studiesCardiac crude drugsClassification of crude drugsCultivation, collection, processing, storage and conservation of medicinal plantsEmetic and anti-amoebic crude drugsEvaluation of herbal drugs: WHO and ICH guidelines and stability testingFungal crude drugsHerbal cosmetics, herbal excipients and herbal formulations including phytosomesHerbs as raw materials: authentication, good agricultural practices and pest managementHerb–drug and herb–food interactionsIndian systems of medicine and standardization of Ayurvedic formulationsIntroduction to Pharmacognosy: definition, scope, sources of drugs, organized and unorganized drugsIsolation, identification and industrial production of named phytoconstituentsNarcotic crude drugsNutraceuticals and herbs used as health foodsPatenting, IPR, biopiracy and regulation of ASU drugs including Schedule T GMPPhenylpropanoids and flavonoids as secondary metabolitesPlant tissue culture and edible vaccinesPrimary metabolites and plant products as pharmaceutical aids: carbohydrates, proteins/enzymes, lipids, fibres and marine drugsPurgative crude drugsQuality control of natural-origin drugs: adulteration and methods of evaluationQuantitative microscopy: leaf constants, lycopodium spore method and camera lucidaSecondary metabolites: definition, classification and identification testsTropane alkaloid drugsVolatile oil-, tannin-, resin- and terpenoid-containing crude drugs
Sample questions, with the reasoning
Every served question is explained like this — including why each wrong option is wrong.
A cooperative of growers wishes to obtain legal protection for a traditional, region-specific herbal product (for example a spice or a tea whose distinctive quality and reputation are essentially attributable to the geographical area in which it is grown). Which category of intellectual property right is the MOST appropriate instrument for this purpose?
A)A Geographical Indication (GI)✓
B)A product (utility) patent
C)A trademark
D)A copyright
Why A is correct
A Geographical Indication identifies a good as originating from a defined territory where a given quality, reputation or characteristic is essentially attributable to that origin. It is a collective right well suited to traditional, region-specific products (e.g. registered Indian GIs such as Darjeeling tea and Basmati) and is a recognised tool for defending traditional/community knowledge, unlike patents, trademarks or copyright.
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A standardized dry extract of a medicinal plant is labelled with a native drug-to-extract ratio (DER) of 5:1. A tablet is formulated to contain 250 mg of this dry extract. Assuming the DER refers to the native extract, the quantity of crude (starting) drug represented by one tablet is:
A)50 mg
B)1.25 g✓
C)500 mg
D)5.0 g
Why B is correct
A DER of 5:1 means 5 parts of crude drug yield 1 part of dry extract. Hence 250 mg of extract represents 250 mg × 5 = 1250 mg = 1.25 g of crude starting drug.
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All of the following analytical reagents are correctly paired with their specific secondary metabolite class and identification purpose EXCEPT:
C)Keller-Killiani test (Ferric chloride + glacial acetic acid + conc. H2SO4) - 2-deoxy sugars in cardiac glycosides yielding a brown ring with a bluish-green upper acetic acid layer
D)Bornträger's test (Dilute hydrochloric acid followed by chloroform extraction) - Monoterpene glycoside detection yielding a permanent blue fluorescence✓
Why D is correct
Bornträger's test is used to detect anthraquinones (yielding a pink-red to violet color in the alkaline aqueous phase), not monoterpene glycosides with blue fluorescence. Fluorescence is typically associated with coumarins under UV light.
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Practise P04 with real marking
68 questions · +1/−⅓ RRB-pattern marking · explanations after every answer. No sign-up needed.