DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY

College of Arts and Sciences

University of the Philippines Manila

COURSE SYLLABUS
BIO 127 Medicinal Botany

A. Course Description

1. Course code: BIO 127

2. Course title: Medicinal Botany
3. Course description: Morpho-anatomical and phytochemical characterization of
medicinally important plants, algae, and fungi with an
evolutionary and ethnobotanical perspective
4. Prerequisite: None
5. Semester offered: 1st and 2nd semesters, Midyear
6. Course credit: 3.0 (2 lecture, 1 laboratory)
7. Number of hours: 2 hours lecture and 3 hours laboratory per week
8. Meeting type: Lecture, lab experiments, field work
9. Course goal: Provide introductory theoretical and practical knowledge in the
recognition, processing, and analysis of medicinally important
plants, algae, and fungi in the Philippines

B. Rationale

The Philippines is one of the centers of world mega-biodiversity yet the majority of Filipinos
still lack access to cheaper, natural sources of medicinal drugs. To help fill this gap, Filipino
health care professionals, especially those in the community medical and pharmaceutical fields,
are expected to contribute to local pharmacopoeias with plants, algae, and fungi as natural
sources of medicinal compounds. This requires health science students a comprehensive
knowledge on plant, algal, and fungal morpho-anatomy, microtechnique, physiology, and
phytochemistry. We complement this knowledge with an evolutionary and ethnobotanical
perspective for the students and their outputs to be globally updated but still locally relevant.
Taking this course will better equip the students for higher biological, medical, and
pharmaceutical science courses such as plant physiology, ethnobotany, community medicine,
pharmacognosy, and natural products chemistry, among others.

C. Course Outline

1. Course Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student should be able to:

1. Appreciate taxonomic systems and ethnomedicinal knowledge of local plants,

algae, and fungi in the countryside;
2. Describe, identify, name, and classify plants, algae, and fungi of medicinal
importance based on biological evolution; and
3. Perform preliminary morpho-anatomical and phytochemical characterization of
medicinal plants, algae, and fungi.

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 2. Course Coverage

Week Learning TOPIC Suggested Assessment Tools Learning Resources Complementary

Outcomes Teaching and Laboratory Exercises/
Learning Activities Activities

1 Orientation

2-3 Conduct ethnomedicinal study I. Ethnobotany Lecture Reflection paper PowerPoint (included in IV. Special
of plants, algae, and fungi in a A. Philippine problem, to be conducted
rural locality ethnobotany and ethics Field work Special problem Field work site later)
B. Survey of Philippine (Ethnobotanical (Ethnobotanical
medicinal plants, algae, and investigation, to be notes)
fungi conducted later)
C. Common Philippine
herbal preparations

4-7 Appreciate the diversity of II. Diversity Lecture Written exam PowerPoint I. Taxonomic methods
medicinally important groups A. Philippine systematic
of plants, algae, and fungi botany Case studies Quizzes Journal articles A. Descriptive Terminology
B. Taxonomic method
Trace the evolution of 1. Description Problem solving Special problem Phylogenetic B. Taxonomic Keys
medicinally important groups 2. Identification (Herbarium, software
of plants, algae, and fungi Field work Pharmacopoeial C. Collection and herbarium
3. Nomenclature
based on the natural selection (Collection, entry) Herbarium materials preparation
4. Classification
of metabolites and other Herbarium
compounds C. Phylogenetic preparation) Field work site
systematics
1. Morphological
phylogenetics
2. Molecular
phylogenetics
3. Chemosystematics
D. Survey of plant, algal,
and fungal diversity

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8-10 Characterize medicinally III. Structure and Lecture Written exam PowerPoint II. Morpho-anatomical
important groups of plants, function techniques
algae, and fungi based on organ A. Morpho-anatomy Case studies Practical exam Journal articles
morphology, histology, and 1. Morphology A. Microtechnique
microanatomy 2. Histology Slide preparation Class conference Microtechnique
3. Anatomy (case studies) equipment B. Morphology, histology,
and microanatomy
Special problem
Reagents
(Pharmacopoeial C. Algal or fungal culture
entry)
Prepared slides

Culture materials

11-13 Characterize medicinally B. Physio-chemistry Lecture Written exam PowerPoint III. Phytochemical
important groups of plants, 1. Metabolism techniques
algae, and fungi based on 2. Growth and Case studies Practical exam Journal articles
physiology and phytochemical hormones A. Percent composition
constituency 3. Production of Phytochemical Class conference Phytochemical
secondary metabolites analyses (case studies) extraction and B. Extraction
Validate efficacy of some characterization
4. Phytochemical
plant, algal, and fungal Basic botanical Special problem equipment and kit C. Tests for secondary
techniques
metabolites through basic assay (Pharmacopoeial metabolites
botanical assay 5. Basic botanical entry) Reagents
assays D. Basic botanical assay
Bioassay kit
IV. Special problem

14 Grow and propagate IV. Propagation Lecture Written exam PowerPoint (Greenhouse visit)
medicinally important algae, A. Hydroponics
fungi, and plants ex situ B. Tissue culture Greenhouse visit Greenhouse

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 4. Course Requirements

Lecture (50%)

Long examinations (60%). There will be two (2) lecture exams that will assess student
learning, one for Units I and II and another for III and IV.
Case study presentation (15%). The class will be divided into groups. Each group will be
given a case related to pharmaceutical botany to analyze, solve, and present.
Reflection paper (15%). Each student will reflect on their experience during an
ethnobotanical investigation.
Quizzes (10%). Short or long quizzes will test the student’s performance formatively, then
summatively, the latter being recorded.

Laboratory (50%)

Special problem. The class will be divided into groups. Each group will be given a species of
medicinal plant, alga, or fungus to research on.
Monograph (30%). Each group will work on an herbal monograph on their assigned
species throughout the semester, which must be presented in a culminating
activity.
Herbarium (10%). Students will collect samples of their assigned species and
prepare an herbarium material.
Ethnobotanical notes (10%). Students will conduct ethnomedicinal investigation of a
certain locality and submit notes taken in the field.
Laboratory performance (30%). Participation is crucial for the student to learn. The student
will be assessed on his/her active participation in the activities, as well as the proper
conduct of these activities.
Long examinations (20%). There will be two (2) laboratory exams that will assess student
learning, one for Morpho-anatomical techniques (move type) and another for
Phytochemical techniques (sit-down).

D. References (not required, may include but are not limited to)

1. Agrawal, D.C., H.-S. Tsay, L.-F. Shyur, Y.-C. Wu, and S.-Y. Wang (Eds.). 2017.
Medicinal plants and fungi: Recent advances in research and development. Springer:
Singapore, Singapore. 547 pp.
2. Dayrit, F.M. and R.A.S. Macahig. 2014. Encyclopedia of common medicinal plants of
the Philippines, vol. 1. Philippine Institute for Traditional and Alternative Health
Care: Quezon City, Philippines.
3. Dayrit, F.M. R.A.S. Macahig, I.C. Sia, D. Madulid, M. Chan, I. Villaseñor, M. Tan,
A. Paano, E.M. Agoo. 2017. Encyclopedia of common medicinal plants of the
Philippines, vol. 2. A.M. Guidote, Jr. and F.M. Dayrit (Eds.). Philippine Institute for
Traditional and Alternative Health Care: Quezon City, Philippines.
4. Evert, R.F. 2006. Esau’s plant anatomy: Meristems, cells, and tissues of the plant
body: Their structure, function, and development, 3rd ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.:
New York, USA.

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5. Hao, D.-C. and P.-G. Xiao. 2015. Genomics and evolution in traditional medicinal
plants: Road to a healthier life. Evolutionary Bioinformatics 2015 (11): 197–212.
6. Harborne, A.J. 1998. Phytochemical methods: A guide to modern techniques of plant
analysis, 3rd ed. Springer Netherlands: Dordrecht, The Netherlands. 302 pp.
7. Institute of Herbal Medicine. 2017. Guidebook on the proper use of medicinal plants.
National Institutes of Health, University of the Philippines Manila: Manila,
Philippines. 248 pp.
8. Judd, W.S., C.S. Campbell, E.A. Kellogg, P.F. Stevens, and M.J. Donoghue. 2015.
Plant systematics: A phylogenetic approach, 4th ed. Sinauer Associates, Inc.:
Massachusetts, USA. 677 pp.
9. Lewis, W.H. and M.P.F. Elvin-Lewis. 2003. Medical botany: Plants affecting human
health, 2nd ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.: New York, USA. 812 pp.
10. Osbourn, A.E. and V. Lanzotti (Eds.). 2009. Plant-derived natural products:
Synthesis, function, and application. Springer Science: New York, USA. 597 pp.
11. Quisumbing, E. 1978. Medicinal plants of the Philippines. JMC Press, Inc.: Quezon
City, Philippines. 1262 pp.
12. Simpson, M.G. 2010. Plant systematics, 2nd ed. Elsevier, Inc.: Massachusetts, USA.
740 pp.
13. Taiz, L., E. Zeiger, I.M. Møller, and A. Murphy. 2014. Plant physiology and
development. Sinauer Associates, Inc.: Massachusetts, USA. 700 pp.
14. Youngken, H.W. 1951. Pharmaceutical botany, 7th ed. The Blakiston Company:
Philadelphia, US. 752 pp.

E. Policies common to all classes (refer to your instructor for specific rules)

1. Students are expected to uphold scholastic integrity at all times. Cheating or

plagiarism in any course requirement merits an automatic grade of 5.00 in the entire
course or expulsion from the university system.
2. Students are dropped from the course if they incur at least three (3) absences in the
lecture or three (3) absences in the laboratory.
3. Students who miss any long exam are not given any make up exam and
automatically get a score of zero (0). However, if for valid reason (e.g., medical),
the student will be required to take the final exam as substitute for the missed long
exam. Any more missed long exam onward will be given a score of zero (0).
4. Students are exempted from taking the final exam if they get a pre-final grade (PFG
= lecture grade + laboratory grade) of at least 70 or 2.50. If the student is not
exempted, the PFG will comprise 80% of the final grade (FG) while 20% will come
from the final exam score.
5. Students with a failing grade (less than 54) in either the lecture or laboratory
automatically get a failing grade (5.00) for the entire course.
6. Students are discouraged from booking tickets home or travelling until the last day
of final exam, unless the student is exempted.
7. Students shall settle deficiencies/accountabilities (e.g., replace broken or lost slides,
glassware, or any equipment) in the laboratory as soon as possible or at the latest
before the last day of classes.
8. Students are given a grade of INC if they fail to accomplish laboratory clearance on
or before the last day of classes.

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 F. Class schedule (Second Semester, Academic Year 2018-2019)

LECTURE (2 hrs/wk)
Section Lec 1 Lec 2
Day and time T, 2–4 pm F, 2–4 pm
Room GAB-102 GAB-105
Instructors Jeffrey P. Mancera, M.Sc. (Ethnobotany and Systematics)
Fredeslinda C. Evangelista, Ph.D. (Morpho-anatomy, Physio-chemistry, and Herbal Propagation)
LABORATORY (3 hrs/wk)
Section 1A 1B 2A 2B
Day and time T, 7–10 am T, 10 am–1 pm F, 7–10 am F, 10 am–1 pm
Room RH-317 RH-312 RH-317 RH-317
Instructor Jeffrey P. Neil Edsel C. Rochelle Y. Rochelle Y.
Mancera, M.Sc. Ramirez, M.Sc. Brillantes, Brillantes,
M.H.P.Ed. M.H.P.Ed.
(ongoing) (ongoing)

DATE LABORATORY LECTURE

Jan. 15/18 Orientation Orientation
Jan. 22/25 Descriptive terminology (Vegetative) Ethnobotany
Jan. 29/ Feb. 1 Descriptive terminology (Reproductive) Ethnobotany
Feb. 5/8 Holiday Holiday
Feb. 12/15 Taxonomic keys Diversity
Feb. 19/22 Collection and herbarium preparation Diversity
Feb. 26/Mar. 1 Microtechnique Diversity
Mar. 5/8 Algal or fungal culture Morpho-anatomy
Mar. 9 (Sat) Exam 1
Mar. 12/15 Morphology and histology Morpho-anatomy
Mar. 19/22 Microanatomy Morpho-anatomy
Mar. 26/29 Percent composition and extraction Physio-chemistry
Mar. 30 (Sat) Exam 1
Apr. 2/5 Tests for secondary metabolites Physio-chemistry
Apr. 12/16 Basic botanical assay Herbal propagation
Apr. 23/26 Special problem Exam 2
Apr. 27 (Sat) Exam 2
Apr. 30/May 3 Special problem Case study (Groups 1–5)
May 7/10 Special problem Case study (Groups 6–10)
May 14 Special problem presentation*

*Schedule of ethnobotanical field work, collection, and herbarium preparation will be announced as soon as details are final

Important dates to remember:

Feb. 5 T Chinese New Year Apr. 30 T Deadline for filing of LOA

Feb. 25 M EDSA People Power May 1 W Labor Day
Commemoration
Apr. 4 Th Deadline for dropping of subjects May 15 W End of classes
Apr. 9 T Araw ng Kagitingan May 16 Th Integration period
Apr. 18 Th Maundy Thursday May 23–28 Th-T Final exam for non-graduating students
Apr. 19 F Good Friday Jun. 6 Th Deadline of submission of grades

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