pharmacognosy

American  

[fahr-muh-kog-nuh-see] / ˌfɑr məˈkɒg nə si /

noun

1. materia medica.

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pharmacognosy British  

/ ˌfɑːməkɒɡˈnɒstɪk, ˌfɑːməˈkɒɡnəsɪ /

noun

1. the branch of pharmacology concerned with crude drugs of plant and animal origin

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Other Word Forms

• pharmacognosist noun
• pharmacognostic adjective

Etymology

Origin of pharmacognosy

First recorded in 1835–45; pharmaco- + -gnos(is) + -y ³

Example Sentences

The results, reported in the Journal of Natural Products by the American Chemical Society and the American Society of Pharmacognosy, suggest a promising direction for future skin-aging treatments.

From Science Daily

Li Shizhen’s “Compendium of Materia Medica,” or “Bencao gangmu,” first published in 1596, is a Chinese pharmacopoeia and the most celebrated book in the Chinese tradition of pharmacognosy, or the study of medicinal plants.

From Salon

I am a professor emeritus who chaired the pharmacognosy department at Ole Miss for 15 years before retiring.

From Seattle Times

I clicked on researcher after researcher, ruling out one after another—one just because he didn’t list an e-mail or any contact information, another because she wrote articles filled with words I didn’t understand, words like pharmacognosy, methanolic, and eosin.

From Literature

Today, the subject matter contained in this branch of science is taught under the heading of several specialized fields, such as pharmacology, pharmacognosy, and drug analysis of various types.

From Project Gutenberg