Classification of Medicinal Plants

 Medicinal Plants can be arranged in a variety of ways, depending upon the students primary interests. Such classifications can fulfill a number of different purposes. They may clarify potentially useful therapeutic relationships; suggest avenues of research for the pharmacologist; even provide the environmentalist with data for the seemingly unending struggle to protect the natural environment from the ravages of our culture. 
 The commonest groupings are:
  

1. Alphabetically. This is done either by latin binomial or common name. Whilst facilitating easy access to information, this classification offers no therapeutic insights.

2. Taxonomic. Based upon botanical classification, the herbs are arranged according to current opinions of the groupings from which they come, in classes, orders, families, genera and species.

3. Morphological.  Here the remedies are grouped by shared anatomical features: leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, aerial parts, whole plant, rhizomes, roots, all of which are known in pharmacognosy as organized drugs as they are morphologically whole. Unorganized drugs are plant material that have no cellular structure such as extracts, gums, resins, oils, fats and waxes.

4. Therapeutic. Such classifications are based upon the herbs pharmacological effects. There are a number of different ways of doing this.

o Action based arrangements offer most to the holistic practitioner, as is explored throughout this course.
o Body systems or organ affinity highlights plants appropriate for different parts of the human body.
o Medical system. The same herb would have different therapeutic indications depending upon the system within which the practitioner is working, wether it be Ayurveda, Western Biomedical ideas or TCM.

5. Biochemical. Based upon the important chemical constituents, such as saponins, alkaloids, flavones etc. The plethora of limitations that characterise such an approach stem from percieving the plant as an organic drug source. This is explored throughout the course.

6. Biogenetic. Of little value to the Medical Herbalist, other than academic, this uses ideas of genetic taxonomy and evoltionary relationships between biochemicals found in different plants.

7. Geographical. An ethno-botanical based classification.

 The following sections are for reference and background information. The practitioner will rarely need such information for their patients, but a competant phytotherapist will be aware of such material. Classification systems reviewed here are: