Pharmacognosy as a multiplex of overlapping and integrated sciences is at the forefront of numerous technological advances, both in the laboratory and the field. Thus, Pharmacognosists are involved in a number of selected activities and these include:
Identification of natural drug sources.
Determination of morphological characters.
Planning for the cultivation of medicinal plants.
Protocol development and/or implementation of processes involved in the collection, drying, and preservation of crude drug material.
Evaluation of crude natural drugs microscopically, macroscopically, genetically, chemically, and biologically, for quality control purposes.
Evaluation of the Pharmacology of crude extracts and active constituents.
Isolation and characterization of active secondary metabolites from natural sources.
Involved in interdisciplinary relationships with ethnobotany, ethnopharmacology, botany, chemistry, enzymology, genetics, pharmacology, horticulture, quality control, and biotechnology among others.
Legal and regulatory issues.