The future of pharmacognosy in academic education.

Plants are one of the most important and oldest resources of reparations used in medicine, and pharmacognosy is an interal part of academic education of pharmacists. While this special eld originally consisted of the identification of medicinal plants nd of the knowledge about their constituents, pharmacological ffects and therapeutic efficacy, during the past 20 years a new evelopment with a clear focus on molecular biology has been bserved. This trend was linked to research on biosynthesis and lucidation of molecular mechanisms of action of biologically active atural substances thus leading to the identification of new targets n order to develop new active substances for modern medicinal roducts. It has been discussed on several occasions how pharmacognosy hould define its position in academic research and education, and ebates on this subject are ongoing in many European countries. here is of course a need for modernization because all “classical” reas must be prepared for the future and be in line with scienific and technological progress. However, the original knowledge bout identification of plants and their typical constituents as well s their effects and efficacy which represent an integral part and a nique feature of the pharmacists’ education must not be neglected. uch a knowledge forms the basis for a scientific phytotherapy and he use of herbal medicinal products which have been fully recgnized as medicinal products by the European legislation. E.g., n accordance with the European Directive 2004/24/EC the Herbal edicinal Products Committee (HMPC) was founded in 2004, and registration procedure for traditional herbal medicinal products as established. There seems to be consensus about the importance of pharmaognosy for the basic skills of future pharmacists, for the knowledge f medicinal plants and the expertise in using herbal medicinal