Medicinal plant materials and plant names

Structure of a pharmaceutical term

The names of herbal medicinal raw materials in Latin have a clearly defined grammatical structure. The first position is always occupied by a noun denoting the used part of the plant. It is capitalized and in the nominative case (Nominativus). The second position contains the botanical name of the plant itself, which must be in the genitive case (Genitivus).

For example, if we need to translate the expression "pheasant's eye herb", we use the word herba (herb) and the plant name Adōnis in the genitive case — Adonĭdis. This results in the correct term Herba Adonidis. Other names for raw materials representing the aerial parts of plants are built using the same logic:

• lily of the valley herb — Herba Convallariae;
• St. John's wort herb — Herba Hyperici;
• yarrow herb — Herba Millefolii.

Vegetative organs: leaves, bark, and roots

Various vegetative organs of medicinal plants are widely used in medical practice. Each of these parts has its own Latin designation.

Leaves are designated by the term folium. Examples of such raw materials include foxglove leaf (Folium Digitalis), sage leaf (Folium Salviae), nettle leaf (Folium Urticae), and eucalyptus leaf (Folium Eucalypti). If the plant has a specific epithet, it also agrees with the name. For example, peppermint leaf is translated as Folium Menthae piperitae.

Bark is translated as cortex. Examples include buckthorn bark (Cortex Frangulae) and oak bark (Cortex Quercus).

Roots and rhizomes are designated by the words radix and rhizoma. A classic example of using a root is marshmallow root (Radix Althaeae). Sometimes a term indicates several underground parts at once, connected by the preposition "with" (cum), which requires the ablative case to follow. A characteristic example of such a compound name is valerian rhizome with roots (Rhizoma cum radicibus Valerianae).

Generative organs: fruits, seeds, and flowers

Generative parts of plants (reproductive organs) also form an extensive group of applied raw materials, which are subject to general grammatical rules.

Fruits are called fructus in Latin. Hawthorn fruits (Fructus Crataegi), rose hips (Fructus Rosae), and rowan fruits (Fructus Sorbi) are frequently found in nomenclature.

Seeds can be indicated in either singular or plural:

1. The singular (semen) is used when a mass of small seeds is treated as a single whole, for example, linseed (Semen Lini).
2. The plural form (semina) is used for large or individual seeds: strophanthus seeds (Semina Strophanthi) or nux vomica seeds (Semina Strychni).

Flowers are designated by the plural noun flores; for example, hawthorn flowers are translated as Flores Crataegi.

Grammatical gender and finished dosage forms

When memorizing plant names (Nomina plantarum), it is important to pay attention to their grammatical gender, as this affects agreement with adjectives. Many herb and tree names in Latin belong to the feminine gender (f — femininum). These include marshmallow (Althaea, ae), chamomile (Chamomilla, ae), and foxglove (Digitālis, is). There are also neuter plants (n — neutrum), which include yarrow (Millefolium, i). Some plants have compound specific names, for example, spring pheasant's eye — Adōnis vernālis.

In addition to loose raw materials (herbs, roots, bark), herbal components are often part of finished dosage forms. For example, pheasant's eye extract is used in the production of solid dosage forms. Sugar-coated "Adonis-brom" tablets are translated into Latin as Tabulettae "Adonis-brom" obductae.

Class and exam questions

What else to study on this topic

• Case endings of nouns denoting plant parts
• Declension of feminine and neuter botanical names
• Rules for agreement of specific adjectives
• Translation of prepositional phrases with the preposition cum
• Names of solid dosage forms based on herbal raw materials

Other topics in the section "Prescription abbreviations. Frequency stems"

Prepared by WhiteCoat Pro faculty in accordance with the medical school curriculum. For educational purposes only.