Establishment and History:

The Museum of Pharmacognosy at the Faculty of Pharmacy – Cairo University is considered one of the unique landmarks in the field of medicinal drugs and medicinal plants. Work on its establishment began in 1926 on a limited scale, before it was expanded, renovated, and reorganized twice: first in 1936 and again in 1948. Owing to these developments, the museum became the only one of its kind within universities worldwide, housing a distinguished collection of original specimens of crude drugs of both plant and animal origin.

Development and Modernization

The museum has undergone several stages of modernization and documentation to ensure the preservation of its holdings and to provide accurate information on medicinal drugs. The most prominent of these stages include:

• 2007/2008: The data related to the drugs displayed in the museum were updated. The possibility of supplying the museum with modern drugs was also examined in order to keep pace with scientific developments in the field of pharmacognosy and medicinal plants.
• 2008/2009: The data of all drugs were recorded in a special museum register, with the aim of documentation and effective organization of its contents.
• 2021: A complete inventory of the museum’s holdings was conducted, amounting to 702 specimens, and the data records were updated to ensure the accuracy of the information provided.
• 2022: A delegation from UNESCO visited the museum to examine methods for its restoration according to advanced scientific approaches, ensuring the preservation of its valuable holdings for future generations.

Museum Plant Lists

Importance of the Museum:

The Museum of Pharmacognosy represents a unique scientific and historical center, offering students and researchers the opportunity to examine original specimens of medicinally used drugs, thereby enhancing their understanding of the natural sources of medicines. It also plays an important role in preserving the pharmaceutical heritage of drugs of natural origin and in providing documented information on the history of medicinal drugs and the development of their use throughout the ages.

Conclusion

The Museum of Pharmacognosy at the Faculty of Pharmacy – Cairo University remains a symbol of authenticity and scientific progress in the field of pharmacognosy and medicinal plants. It combines historical legacy with continuous modernization, making it one of the most prominent academic landmarks contributing to the support of scientific research and the advancement of pharmaceutical knowledge.

Museum Collections

In 2022, a delegation from UNESCO visited to study the restoration of the museum in a scientifically sound manner.

The contents of the museum are divided into groups according to the following systems:

1. A light microscope equipped with a display screen, considered the first light microscope of such specifications, and its size was ten times that of current microscopes.

2. A collection of 50 panels, each dedicated to a specific drug, including an image of a medicinal plant, the drug in its various forms, pharmaceutical preparations derived from it, its active constituents, and another group of drugs on which research was conducted in the Department of Pharmacognosy.

3. More than 100 models representing different types of floral classifications of medicinal plants, representing numerous plant families.

4. A collection of 300 charts of medicinal plants and a herbarium containing more than 2,000 Egyptian plants.

5. A collection of 600 drugs from various foreign countries, and another collection of 130 drugs from Egypt, Sudan, and other Arab countries. Each drug is accompanied by a label indicating its name, geographical origin, main active constituents, and benefits.

6. A collection of photographic images of more than 30 flowering plants produced by the Faculty farm.

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