Subject: CCL:ANS:Pharmacognosy

From: [email-masked] (Ben Burke)
Date: Fri, 1 Jul 94 11:57:23 -0700

[email-masked] wrote:
>Since many of you on this list are in the medicinal sciences, perhaps you
>could help me.  One of my students is looking for a graduate program in
>pharmacognostics (pharmacognosy).  Which schools have such a program?
>Thank you for any suggestions you might have.

Further, Peter Shenkin ([email-masked]) wrote:
>More seriously, what the hell is (or are) pharmacognostics?  

In reverse order, 
Pharmacognosy is the study of pharmaceuticals from plant sources.
Researchers investigate folklore and interview persons who use
plants for medicinal purposes.  Based on this data, researchers collect, 
identify, and catalog plants which are indicated for medicinal uses. 
Often these are places like rainforests, and people like shamans.
Extracts of the plants are tested in screens related to the medicinal 
activity claimed.  Fractionation is continued until the active 
components are isolated, purified and characterized.  These components
either become drugs themselves, or become new leads for drugs.  Of 
course, many of the drugs we use today are isolated from plant sources 
or are semi-synthetic versions of the same.  We all can appreciate the 
example that aspirin comes from willow bark (Chinese remedy).

[Peter:  As an aside:  Perhaps talk with Koji Nakanishi.  He spoke 
at a graduate-student-organized meeting for a consortium of Midwest 
schools with programs of Med Chem/Pharmacognosy (in Chicago in 1990).] 

In particular, 
I would suggest a look at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
They have a program in pharmacognosy that is extensive and well
respected throughout the world.  Some of the top scholars in the
field are concentrated there, and Chicago is a great city.  And
being in Chicago allows them access to incredible facilities 
(like the Field Museum for plant identification, etc.).  Researchers
there also have a close association with World Health Organization.

Try:  Dept of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy,
Mail Code 781, 833 S. Wood Street, Chicago IL  60612 
or call: 312-996-7245 (department head, main office) 

For protocol's sake: They also train computational chemists at UIC. 

Best to you,
-Ben Burke (graduate of UIC Med Chem Dept)

[email-masked]
Agouron Pharmaceuticals

As usual, these are my opinions and not those of Agouron Pharmaceuticals.