Definitions

SOME TERMS IN
HOMOEOPATHIC PHARMACY
 A compound which contained
Acid hydrogen, this hydrogen may be
replaced partially or wholly by
metals to produce salt. A liquid
acids turn blue litmus paper red.
There are organic acids &
inorganic acids.

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 A class of organic compounds
Alcohol derived from hydrocarbons,
where one or more hydrogen
atom in the molecules is
replaced by hydroxyl group.

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 Alkali :- water soluble base is an
alkali. E.g. – Caustic Potash .

Alkaloid :- alkaloids are organic bases

containing nitrogen having specific
physiological actions. Vegetable alkaloids
are generally found in abundance in barks,
seeds & roots. Eg. Nicotine from Tobacum

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 Anhydrous :- a term used for a
substance when it is completely
free from water.

Antidote :- it is a substance which modifies

or oppose the effects of a remedy eg.
Belladonna & Opium.
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 Boiling point :- The boiling point of a
substance is the temperature at which
the vapor pressure of a liquid equals
the pressure surrounding the liquid and the
liquid changes into a vapor.

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 Atom :-The smallest portion of an
element which can take part in a
chemical reaction.

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 Biochemistry:- A branch of
chemistry dealing with the
changes occurring in living
organisms & cells.

Carbohydrates :- compounds that are polyhydroxy

aldehydes & polyhydroxy ketones or substances that
yield such compounds on hydrolysis.
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 Clinical Pharmacology:- It implies
evaluation of drug.

Clinical Symptoms :- It is a symptoms which

is observed on sick & has not been obtained from
a proving. A patient under treatment is given a
remedy for a certain condition, if a certain
marked symptoms, not found in the proving of
that remedy, disappears, it is credited to the
action of that remedy and called a clinical
symptom.
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 Complimentary :- A relation
wherein one drug completes the
cure which was commenced by
another drug.

Compound:- A compound is a pure substance

that is composed of two or more elements
chemically combined in definite & constant
proportions.
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 Concordant Remedies :- Drugs
whose actions are similar but are
of dissimilar origin are said to be
concordant and they follow each
other well like Pulsatilla & Sepia.

Condensation :- It implies the process of making or

being dense.

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 Crystallization:- Crystallization is a
process of concentrating a solution to
a supersaturated state to cause the
formation of solid particles in a
homogeneous phase.

Density :- The mass of substance per unit volume is

called density.

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 Decantation :- It is pharmaceutical
process to separate out a liquid,
without disturbing the sediment.

Desiccation :- It is the process of drying or removing

the moisture contained in any substance.

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 Dilution :- it is the chemical process
of mixing purified water or alcohol
in a liquid.
Distillation :- Process involving the conversion of
a liquid into vapour that is subsequently
condensed back to liquid form. Distillation is used
to separate liquids from nonvolatile solids, as in
the separation of alcoholic liquors from
fermented materials, or in the separation of two
or more liquids having different boiling points, as
in the separation of gasoline, kerosene, and
lubricating oil from crude oil.
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 Doctrine of signature :- It is inferring
the nature of actions of a
substance from its physical
appearance & properties, that is
,from their color & form.

Drug :- it is therapeutic agent prepared pharmaceutically

from standardized drug substance that is sufficiently capable
of affecting sensation & functions.
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 Drug Power :- It is the amount of
crude drug contained in it.
Drug Substance :- Crude drug substance
are obtained from nature ,used for
preparation of medicines.

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 Dynamisation :- it is the process in
which the inherent property of
diluted substances is brought into
light by different processes as per
the pharmacopoeia.

Elective Affinity Of Drug :- It is the affinity that

certain drugs have for certain parts or organs of
the body. Ex- cantharis for Urinary organ.
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 Emulsion :- floating of solid
particles, on the surface of liquid is
called emulsion. Eg. Fats in milk.

Evaporate :- it means to fly off.

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 Evaporation :- It is a process by
which a liquid is converted in to vapor
either by exposure to air at ordinary
temperature or by applying heat. It is
used to obtain a dissolved solid from a
liquid i.e. from a solution.

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 External Application :- It is a mixture, solution
or emulsion prepared by mixing drugs or lower
potencies with an external vehicle in a definite
ratio & used on the skin or mucous membrane for
soothing purpose, along with some internal
medicine, in a very restricted sense, in
homoeopathy.

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 Filtration :- it is a pharmaceutical
process of separating liquid from
insoluble substances in solution by
using a filtering medium, generally
filter paper.

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 Freezing Point:- it is the
temperature at which a pure liquid
substance changes into solid.

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 Generic Drug :- Drugs marketed
under their non- proprietary name
rather than brand

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 Gum Resins :- They are a natural
mixture of gums & resins obtained
by incising plant bodies.

Gums :- these are carbohydrates in colloidal

forms, which form a mucilaginous substance
when treated with water.
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 Hydrolysis:- Chemical
decomposition of a substance by
water where water itself is
subjected to decomposition.

Ignition Point :- It is a particular temperature at

which a substance starts burning or catches fire.

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 Inimical Remedies :- Drugs which
have a relation of enmity towards
each other & thus, do not follow
each other well. Eg. Mercurius &
Silicea.

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 Magma:- Any crude mixture of
mineral or organic material in a
thin pasty state, after powdering
Materia Medica :- it is a book which
contains collected facts from different
experimentations, clinical experiences
including the pharmacodynamics effects
of drugs and their method of application as
well as doses.
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 Medicine :- When the drug has been
proved on healthy human beings of
different ages & of both sexes, male &
female, and their subjective & objective
symptoms have been thoroughly known, it
is called Medicine.

Melting Point :- The melting range of a substance

indicates the range of temperature within which ,the
indicated substance or a part of it begins to melt, which
is shown by the process of droplet formation.
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 Menstruum:- It is a liquid which is
capable of penetrating the tissues
of plant or animal substance to
dissolved the active principle.

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 Monograph :- It is the individual
description of a drug given in
pharmacopoeia.

Mother Solution :- Drugs prepared from drug substances of

mineral & chemical source as the strongest alcoholic or aqueous
solvent by the process of dissolving in alcohol or purified water

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 Mother Substance/ Mother Powder:-
The original powder prep[are with the aid
of saccharum lactis directly from the crude
drug of any kingdom which is neither
soluble in alcohol nor in purified water

Mother Tincture:- It is the drug prepared from drug

substance of vegetable and animal kingdom using strong
alcohol as a vehicle, by the process of maceration & percolation
in the new method.
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 Nosodes :- Remedies prepared
from diseased products of human
being, lower animal & diseased
plant products.

Sarcodes :- Remedies prepared from healthy endocrine

gland or normal secretion from a living human being &
lower animal
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 Pathogenesis of Drug :- The record of
all the subjective & objective symptoms,
produced by testing drugs on the healthy
human body in varying doses, on different
individuals & both sexes. It includes
toxicological symptoms i.e. expression of
disturbance in a healthy body produced by
a drug or morbid agent.

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 Pharmacy :- It implies to the art
and science of preparing drugs for
administration to the sick &
dispensing them as medicine.

Pharmaceutics :- The art & science of preparing

medicines i.e. science of pharmacy.
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 Pharmacist :- a person skilled or
engaged in pharmacy; one who
prepared or dispenses medicines.

Pharmacognosy :- It is a branch of pharmacology that

deals with the physical characteristics & botanical sources
of crude drugs.
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 Pharmacodynamics :- it is one of the
branch of pharmacology, which help us to
acquire knowledge about dynamic action
& effects of drug on healthy organism. It
constitutes the fundamental aspects of
homoeotherapeutics

Pharmacologist :-

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 Pharmaconomy :- the subject dealing
with the route or channel of administration
of drugs & medicines is termed
“PHARMACONOMY”

Pharmacomania :- Abnormal tendency for

taking drug.
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 Pharmacophophilia :- Self
drugging carried to the degree of
insanity.

Pharmacophobia :- Morbid dread of medicines.

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 Pharmacopraxy :- The art and
science by which the crude drugs
are converted in to real medicines

Pharmacopopsycosis :- A mental disease due to alcohol,

drugs or poisons; drug addiction.
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 Phytochemistry :- The biochemical
study of plants which is concerned
with the identification , biosynthesis
& metabolism of chemical
constituents of plants.

Pilules :- Globules of size greater than 40 i.e. between 40 –

80 are called Pilules.
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 Placebo :- From the Latin word “ to please” An inert
preparation, usually of sugar of milk given to the
patient, while watching a case for the development
symptoms or while permitting a previously
administered drug to act undisturbed. It is also
sometime necessary in impatient cases.

Polychrest Remedy :- A remedy which can produce a

wide range of symptoms in the proving , thus , it suits
various types of diseased states & is called a Polychrest
remedy.
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Potentization :- it is a mathematico – mechanical
process for the reduction , according to scale, of crude
, inert or poisonous medicinal substance to a state of
physical solubility, physiological assimability,
therapeutic activity & harmlessness, for use as
homoeopathic healing remedies.”

Posology :- It is a branch of
pharmacy which deals with the “
doctrine of doses”.
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 Precipitation :- It is laboratory process where a
solution of a substance in liquid is mixed with another
substance in solution , there by forming a new
insoluble solid which separates out of the mixed
solution. The solid thus formed is called precipitate &
the process is called precipitation.

Remedy :- it is a medicine
administered to a patient according to
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symptom similarity to perform a cure.
 Residue :- This is a solid deposit of
the dissolved solute in a basin ,
during the process of evaporation
of a solution.

Sedimentation :- It is a simple method of

separating an insoluble solid from a liquid or the
process of settling of insoluble substance is called
sediment.
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 Specific Gravity :- It is the ratio of
the weight of the substance to
equal weight of water at 4 degree
Celsius

Standardization :- It is a pharmaceutical process to

know the genuineness of the drug by comparing it
with a particular standard, prescribed in different
pharmacopeias .
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 Subjective Symptoms :- A symptom
which either the prover or the patient
experiences and can express in
language only .

Sublimation :- It is the process of purification for some

solid substances. In this method solid is converted in to
vapor and then after condensing , vapor again changes
in to solid.
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 Succussion :- It is a method of
potentisation of soluble medicinal
substances by downward shaking
or friction.
Toxicology :- The aspect of pharmacology that deals with the adverse
effects of drugs. It is concerned not only with drugs used in therapy, but
also with other chemicals that may be responsible for household,
environmental or industrial intoxication.
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 Trituration :- It is the method of potentization
of the medicinal substance, which are
insoluble, reduced to the finest possible
powder and energized by a definite order
given in pharmacopeia.

Vehicles :- “Conveyance or transmission” it is a substance

which are almost chemically neutral, therapeutically inert ,
having no medicinal property of their own. They are
employed for purification , preparation , preservation,
internal administration and external application of
medicines.
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